Touched by a flower
by Minooshka
Summary: They found him in a coffin, mysteriously held in stasis for years. What other secrets does the new member to AVALANCHE hold? Original/FF7's party PoV of Vincent Valentine. V/Aerith as spiritual guide . -Currently in Hiatus but not abandoned- Rated M for Gore, no couples in this.
1. Red cloaked stranger in our midst

**Prologue, Chapter 1: Red cloaked stranger in our midst.**

**I do not own FF7 nor any of its characters. Warning - spoilers.**

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**Author's Forewards.**

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**What this fic is:**

The journey of AVALANCHE through the game through Vincent's PoV (but not exclusively) up till a particularly memorable event before launching the Highwind towards the northern crater. Keep in mind that while **you** play as Cloud with (2) chosen characters. The other members of AVALANCHE must have followed on standby somehow and had their own stories happening on the side-lines.

I am simply writing the ones that involve Vincent when he isn't in Cloud's main group. You will notice that whenever he is with Cloud, it follows the game events accurately. Outside of his presence, it diverges.

**What it isn't:**

A complete re-writing of game events. I won't be writing word-per word descriptions such as an actual walkthrough. I will add my own mysteries and my own non-Canon tidbits. It will be accurate within the scopes of observations of the game. I will be choosing to ignore some canon in favour of others so it will be the best Non-canon thing you've ever read! (hopefully).

Do review this in your honest opinion.

**Personal notes:**

I absolutely, positively loved FF7 since I was 14 and studied in 3DAnimation CGI because of it. *Kisses and hugs* to it for getting me into game designing!

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**o0o**

No one knew exactly what to make of their newest member. Especially considering where they had found him! In a coffin...Within a basement that held dark secrets and the root source of evils. The Beginning of Nightmares for many. The place where many motivation of friend and foes had been born. Even unbeknownst to them... created as well as brought back from the grave. Not exactly a comforting thought!

The morbid clues left by the scientist Hojo, hinted at the man's involvement in the Jenova project as well as connections with Sephiroth himself. The close guarded and presumably dangerous being had simply risen from some coffin and decided to tag along with them. Dusting a layer of dust off his cloak the man in question had stepped up hesitantly asking if they would possibly meet Hojo in their travels.

Insisting to come along if they did...

The current members accompanying the blonde swordsman who'd discovered the odd man, had been RedXIII and Aerith. Cloud noticed that he carried very old gun models, almost antiques by now. Red whispered casually to him that 'The Quicksilver' might not even work anymore and may jam in a fight. The raven haired man had interrupted their little conversation as they walked up the spiral stairs. Raising and clenching his claws up and down swiftly, the metallic scrape of piston and hinges and the slashing sound of air drew their attention. Especially to the fact that his hearing was much finer than normal and that he could obviously protect himself in a physical fight.

They were then very weary of his moods, not knowing him nearly enough to know of any hidden temper. If any outward expression of emotions existed.

Accepting into to their group had been slightly awkward...

Aerith, as expected, had given the man a warm smile and offered her hand to shake without reservation when they had introduced him. As was her nature she openly offered her friendship to him. The Ex-Turk stared at the proffered hand a moment with a look of unimpressed boredom and then slowly... almost hesitantly shook it firmly in his gloved one, the creak of old leather ominous and overly loud. His eyes flickered an intense ruby red momentarily staring at the flower girl's peaceful green ones. She held his gaze for a moment then gently closed her eyes, smiling at him as was her manner to do. A brief softening of his features occurred before the glove retracted into the confines of his cape and he once more became unreadable.

"Welcome Vincent!" She said sincerely, the flame of RedXIII's tail the only source light the underground.

Vincent blinked, his expression blank and guarded.

"..."

A slight shifting movement of his standing position and soft nod indicated his own withheld returned reply as his only response.

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o0o


	2. Black clad illusions of class

**Chapter 2: Black clad illusion of class**

o0o

They led their new recruit back to Tifa's house... Or what looked to be a re-construction of it. Both Cloud and Tifa remembered very clearly that the village of Nibelheim had been burnt to the ground by Sephiroth about 5 years ago. The whole thing was frankly strange and a clear mystery. They eventually introduced the red-caped man to the rest of the AVALANCHE members.

No one really knew much of anything about him, other than that he had been a former Shinra Turk. This information caused some members of the group to dislike him right off the bat. Tifa and Barret especially having had the worst experience with the company's Turks. They kept weary eyes on the man during his own perusal of the team. Barret, oddly quiet and his own opinions for once, folding his arms in relunctant acceptance of the new recruit.

Vincent was incredibly tall and towered over all most them with his 6' except for the dark skinned man who was a head higher. The blonde leader hadn't realized how imposing the man was until he was amongst them. Although slim and fragile looking, he exhuded a powerful presence without actually meaning to do so. Some odd force of charisma.

Holding himself off the side, nodding silently during introductions seemed his conscious way of amending this error of his presence. For a moment Cloud theorized he did it purposefully not to undermine his leadership. His aura was palpable in the room regardless of his standoffish attitude or posture, arms crossed head slightly lowered as he listened. It resulted in an odd tense weariness that affected all of them.

Except, obviously; Aerith and the bouncy Wutain Ninja Yuffie. The toy mechanical mog was incredibly silent since introductions had been made. Cloud noted this mentally and stepped up as their intended leader to speak.

He informed everyone of what they had found out more about Sephiroth in the ShinRa mansion and the clues they had gotten that suggested they check out the reactor . Tifa offered to come with them. She knew the area very well and had been a guide for many year. It was a natural choice. For this outing, he decided not to bring the gunman, opting for Cait Sith. Whom he wanted to talk to about his odd silence after Vincent's introductions. He wasn't sure of the stranger's abilities and had a sneaking suspicion that the dust on Vincent's cloths wasn't just for show. He'd been in that basement and coffin for longer than was normal. So many experiments had been performed in that basement... It unnerved the blonde somewhat to think of this particularly dangerous looking man as one of them.

o0o

Vincent was sitting on the edge of a sofa in Tifa's house's living room, different parts of his Quicksilver laying next to him, cleaning the gun with improvised tools. The only sound in the room was the regular ticking of the grandfather clock and the creaking of his old leather garments as he worked.

-Pling 'major D'-

The solid echo of a single piano note, broke the silence. The gunman stopped for a moment, but then continued, eyes still fixed to the underside of the cocking hammer, passing an oiled cloth under the slide area.

-Pling 'minor E'-

His hand stopped once more in it's movement.

"You know... we should probably get you some new cloths! What you have on looks like it's about to fall off! How old is that anyways? It's like... seriously so passé! Still... pretty cool as a faschion statement goes! Where'd you get them?"

Yuffie chirped. Practically exploding with her withheld comments and questions for the last 15 minutes. The dark raven haired man, not bothering with an answer nor looking at the girl, quickly and elegantly reassembled the gun under the intrigued eyes of the young teenager. Cocking and locking the hammer, he pulled the trigger, it shot forward with a healthy clapping sound.

"Are you any good with that?" She finally said. Ignoring the fact that he had never answered any of her previous questions.

Vincent raised his head at the ninja and blinked very slowly once. Face unreadable. "Yes."

Yuffie flashed a toothy smile. "How good?"

The Ex-Turk stood up in one movement, holstered his gun and turned towards the young Wutain. He lifted his clawed hand abruptly up towards her, palm upraised. The young girl jumped and blinked, taking an immediate defensive posture. Instinctively reacting to a perceived attack. The hand remained unmoving at mid-waist height, palm upraised still, expectantly.

Yuffie's eyes followed the connections up to look up at Vincent stare. The gunman's face revealed nothing but determined concentration that seemed to look straight through her. Almost as if he was keeping something inside of him in check. He always looked strung, taught and guarded, she thought. But that was what made him so cool! As a moment passed... and then another... She realized what the upraised hand meant.

"Uh...um... ok. I guess you know? Hmmm... gosh..."

She fished into her arm guard and retrieved 3 orbs, 2 green and a yellow. She dejectedly dropped it into the opened clawed hand. They made a glassy clinking sound connecting with the metal and each other.

He kept staring, expression unchanged. The hand still where it was, palm up and digits spread open, pointing towards her menacingly.

"What?"

He blinked...slowly. She shifted her weight on her other foot.

"Damnit!"

She looked away and down, brows furrowed and sniffling as she fished into a back pocket and retrieved a pale blue orb grumpily dropping it amongst the other smallish materia orbs. The sharp golden digits closed upon the spheres and cocked to one side as the gloved hand holding the quicksilver set the top hammer of the pistol underneath. One by one, he set the materia orbs into the two separate and the pair linked compartments.

(Haste), (Sense), (Bio)+(Added effect).

The gun then disappeared into the confines of the red velvet cap. A faint sound of being encased in a leather holster muffled by the material. Vincent turned to the side, leaving. He canted his head slightly to the side as he addressed her in an even voice.

"Come with me..."

Yuffie backed up and made frantic hand movements of denial towards him

"Hey! You're not going to punish me or something right? No hard feelings, it was just a joke! Come on!"

She then completely shifted gears from a frightened posture to an angry hand on hip determined finger wagging posture. "I'll have you know that I'm the great Yuffie Kisaragi! I could probably take you on!"

"..."

He padded through the living room, metal shoe tips clinking on the wood and opened the door exiting the house. All without answering nor looking back to the hyper teenager. Ignored, Yuffie kept her angry posture for a moment before sighing and caving into her curiosity. The new AVALANCHE member was just tooooo cool! Vincent was a good distance away from the house walking through the small quiet town before he heard the quick running feet of the ninja trying to catch up to his side. As he had expected.

"Where are we going and watcha need me to come with you for?" She asked loudly and energetically skipping and twirling as she followed at his left side.

"..." He turned his head slightly to the side and down at her before quickly looking back in front again. With the same expressionless features, his opinion of her a complete mystery, he answered; "Supplies."

They passed an odd man in a black cover all trench coat, locks of silver and grey hair falling and covering his eyes, the figure mumbled intelligibly, sitting on the side of a random building. He almost looked like a beggar. For a moment, the Ninja's attention lapsed as she stared, she'd seen these odd black caped men before with Cloud and Co. She approached cautiously and was able to see an odd set of numbers tattooed on the scarred and wrinkled arm. -Brown11-. She snapped her attention back to Vincent, uncomfortable with this added mystery.

"Oh?" She cocked her head, still confused. Trying to get him to elucidate on her purpose in needing her to come along.

He turned to look at her again telling her directly for once. "I have no Gil."

"Ah! Well that makes sense. I dooooo have some!" She smiled. "Watcha need?"

Vincent stopped walking and looked ahead. Yuffie stumbled and turned her gaze at where the Gunman was staring.

-Rob's riffle Range: ammo, guns and pistols.-

"Oh. Riiiiight... Bullets!" She sheepishly tapped a finger to the side of her chin but still had her goofy trademark smile as Vincent politely opened the door, letting her go in first.

o0o

"So what do you think of him?"

"Me?"

Yuffie's legs dangled on the edge of the bed as she answered Nanaki. "I think he's awesome! He's like a truebred ninja! Though he doesn't seem to talk that much..."

The great cat-thing cocked his head slightly to the side. Resting on the floor's carpet, his tail gently swishing up and down. His single good eye trained on the young girl. It was late in the evening and the other member's hadn't come back yet. They where in the guest room, Aerith was cooking downstairs and Barret was probably doing inventory on their stuff in Tifa's living room. Vincent was somewhere...

"He seems to be a troubled man...I keep wondering back to the circumstances of our meeting him."

Yuffie's eyebrows furrowed. "You mean, you think it's odd finding someone in a coffin covered in dust with a 25 year old gun model, freaky goth style cloths and that's still alive?" She scratched her head. The great cat-wolf beast nodded. "Well yeah... I guess that could count as weird." She paused for a moment, the colour draining from her face.

"Could he be a vampire!"

She said it with such horror and conviction that RedXIII just had to chuckle. The deep rumbling sound that came with the cat's mirth made her relax.

"I don't think anything of the sort about the man. Just that he might not be exactly... normal. He did mention something about experiments. I, more than anyone else perhaps, know exactly the sorts of things that can happen when Hojo is involved."

"... Oh! Right. You where one of his test subjects. I remember." The ninja had a look of deep thought.

"That would be... a sensitive subject for anyone really." His ears flicked back gently then forward again. "Well my dear, until he volunteers more information, let us cast off any suspicions and suppositions aside for the moment. It does us no good... I can smell dinner is almost ready!"

Almost on queue the gentle voice of Aerith rose up to the 2nd floor from the bottom of the stairs calling them. Yuffie stood up from the bed and ran enthusiastically down. The cat lifted himself up, his wrist bands jingling as he padded leisurely after her. Gracefully he jumped down handfuls of stairs at a time to land into the living-room area and turning the corner he almost bumped into the subject of their previous conversations.

Vincent was leaning on the side of the wall supporting the stairs. Just slightly startled, the great cat sat down and looked up at the man who had turned his head to look down at the cat-beast. An odd expression of indecision graced the solemn gunman's face, one of the very few expressions he'd ever offered them up until now of his inner workings. The tall man looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't open the conversation.

"Yes?" He offered the beginning of what might be an actual conversation with the man.

The red furred creature's left ear flicked back, a nervous reflex for those who knew him them. A beaded braid clinked next to another gently in his mane because of the gesture. The red-eyes were intensely trained on Cosmo Canyon's guardian, but not on his face. The long dark haired man was playing with a wrist band part of his left clawed hand absently. The metal appendage cradled up to his chest.

"Why, do you let them call you by your sample number?"

Nanaki's only good eye squinted and both his ears lay flat on his head, returning only halfway after a moment. Remembering that the gunman did not know his real name and hadn't been with them as they had gone through cosmo canyon. He now had the impression Vincent had been looking at his left leg haunch and had overheard the entire conversation between him and Yuffie upstrairs with that fine hearing of his. The gunman kept, in an almost nervous matter, slowly twirling the golden wrist band of his claw.

"A reminder of past injustices... I suppose. To push me towards my final goal. I am no longer Nanaki until justice is dealt for what has created RedXIII."

He said it with full conviction. Hadn't realized it until now for truth. Yes! That was why he wasn't letting the other AVALANCHE members call him Nanaki, even though they had learnt of his true name. Using the Red alias encouraged him to see this whole ordeal through with the others. He would officially throw the monicker aside when 'it' was finished.

The gunman stopped twirling the band a moment and stared off into the distance. Thinking on what he'd said perhaps. The red eyes blinked and the expression changed to an odd one the great-cat couldn't place. The ruby eyed man peeled himself from the stair walls to face RedXIII. The feline/wolf heard a faint click and saw the golden claws' outer metal panel swivel on itself to reveal a set of red materia; 1 active, 2 inactive and one cracked burgundy. A stylized pair of analogue numbers held the actual orbs almost like slots, set right after a gothic script. It was obvious by the depth of the slots that they entered the flesh of the left arm.

-Chaos 00-

As soon as it was revealed the band twirled back in place with a similar click and Vincent turned, velvet red cloak trailing behind him as he entered the kitchen and left the cat with this piece of information. Some pieces of the puzzle fell in place within the beasts' mind.

Red's ears flattened back.

Memories of his capture and loosing sight in his eye as he fought to protect those he loved and to remain free as he had been born to be. He relived the pain and burn of chemicals seeping into his fur and skin, bleaching and coaxing his body to produce the dark coloration. He remembered the insane laughter of the mad scientist as he roared , yelling out at the injustices done to him.

o0o

The minestrone soup along with the bread and cheese Aerith had purchased from the local market was plain yet delicious. Everyone already seated partook healthy portions of it. The flower girl placed Red's bowl on a place mat on the floor next to the table with a loaf of said bread. Vincent's appearance caused a brief pause in consumption of said food before the feeding frenzy continued. RedXIII approached the table.

"Thank you."

The beast flashed it's version of a toothy smile, padded and sat down near the table. Truth be told though, he had troubled thoughts that was impeding his appetite but tried not to think too much of them as he forcefully ate not to worry Aerith. Barret was noisily slurping his at the exact same speed as the Ninja. They almost seemed to be competing to see who was the fastest consumer. Aerith simply smiled and returned to the stove to pour two more portions. Vincent Valentine walked past them to lean, as was his habit, on a wall off the side. The large feline wolf hybrid lapped at the soup happily.

"Here you are Mr. Valentine."

The older man almost seemed startled out of his thoughts as he stared at the steaming bowl of soup, the spoon turning slightly in the liquid. Her face was graced by a wonderful sincere smile. A moment passed before Vincent raised both hands to receive it. The clawed hand cradling part of the base of the bowl and the tips of it's digits the back of her hand. She retracted her hand, the tips lightly grazing them. It seemed he was trying to angle them not to harm her and it made him seem awkward and much more approachable for a few moment. The digits clinked on the side of the bowl once he had it fully in both his metallic and gloved grip.

He bowed his head slightly and mouthed a very silent 'thank you', unheard of by the others. She closed her eyes and tipped her head, mouthing a pleasant and equally silent 'your welcome'. She went back to the table and sat down to eat with the others.

-Brrrring brrrrring-

Yuffie stopped eating and excitedly reached over the table and picked the Portable handheld system from Barret's breast pocket before the man could even react!

"$?&?# the hell bratt!"

"Yesssss helloooooo!" Yuffie popped the cell open and answered jumping away from the table.

"Mhmm, wow! You don't say... Ok, sure... I guess we can do that." A pause. " Damn."

Nanaki took a bite of the bread he held firmly between his paws on the map and chewed. Attentive at the going-on.

"Can do! See you guys Byyyyyyye!" -Click-

"The next time you do that brat! I'll clobber you over the head!" The bulky man threatened by shacking his prostethic gun arm towards her.

The Ninja answered by throwing the large gruff man a wet raspberry.

"Anyways, Cloud and company have gotten on the other side! They say the bridge broke, so we'll need to pass through the Valley. Rough country though Tifa says, full of monsters so we'll have to all go together and be extra super duper careful."

"Mmmm." RedXIII swallowed loudly. "We don't know the area very well we might get lost in the mountain range, perhaps we should purchase a map just to be on the safe side."

Aerith and Barret nodded.

"..." Vincent had been silently eating during the communication and dropped the spoon gently. "No need, I can guide you through." He moved towards the table and set the soup down, he'd barely eaten any.

"Ehhhh!" Yuffie exclaimed. "You know the mountains? That's great! I can't read a map even if my life depended on it!"

"Guess that explains why we found you lost in that #&#!* forest in Gongaga right squirt?" Barret insulted. "How do we know this here man's telling us tha truth?"

"..." The dark haired man dropped his finished bowl into the sink before turning around. "I was an bodyguard escort for people travelling through the area. I had to learn it. Shall we leave in the morning?"

RedXIII cocked his head to the side. "I'm agreeable to that idea. Let's all get some sleep so we can get an early start through."

The great cat wondered why the dark haired man always seemed to pause before saying anything. Choosing his words carefully. Refraining from giving away too much of himself? He'd thought Cloud was close lipped and guarded. Vincent made the blonde seem like a hyperactive Chocobo in comparison!

"That means you shouldn't stay up to late Yuffie." Aerith chuckled as Yuffie folded her arms and huffed feigned insult.

Vincent padded to the back of the house and exited to the backyard, pausing in the door frame and looking upwards at the sky. He looked thoughtful and for a brief moment, Nanaki swore he saw acute emotion on his features when he perhaps thought none of them were looking. Melancholy.

o0o

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**Author's notes:**

This chapter was a test of Vincent's character. An experimental story about how the group would have acted around him and also a bit of some additional revelations not found in the game that is of my own make.


	3. The beast of fury

**Chapter 2: The Beast of fury**

o0o

Yuffie woke with a start as all of her blankets were torn off from her in a start.

"AHHHK!" She jumped out so violently that she slipped from the side of the bed and hit her bum none-too-gently on the wooden floor. "HEY! What gives!"

She cut off abruptly as she saw who'd woken her. She dad expected Barret but instead her gaze traveled over a long black leather clad leg to Vincent half-hidden bandana covered face. His expression serious and almost annoyed... possibly angry.

"Get up."

He turned around and exited the room.

What the hell was wrong with that guy. She glared at her clock 5:35am. _'Damn, when he said early, he really meany early. The bastard! UGHHH!_' She mentally fumed as she got ready. Stalking down the stairs still miffed she ran into Aerith who seemed as tired but sipping coffee and dressed for travel, along with Barret who had a large back pack. RedXIII had his specially made travel rucksack and seemed to have just been waiting for her to start their trek.

Off from the side she caught a movement and was able to catch a descent sized backpack before it hit her, "Erk! I haven't even eaten yet!"

"Eat while we walk." Vincent, the backpack thrower, turned around and left the house. The others followed after a moment.

Yuffie's cheek puffed out, absolutely peeved. "Who went ahead and made him leader? Barret shouldn't you be putting him in his place? He just joined us!"

The ninja looked in turn for confirmation of her righteousness from each of the members. Red gave her a sympathetic smile, Barret just looked grim and uncaring. As they passed her, Yuffie's spirit slumped. Aerith put a hand on her shoulder.

"He's offered to be our guide, let's just give Mr. Valentine a chance at showing us what he can do to help us Yuffie."

"Why didn't all of you wake me up earlier instead of having the vampire almost give me a heart attack!"

Aerith giggled.

"I tried and failed. It was either him or Barret."

Yuffie made a face.

o0o

The mountain passes where treacherous. The Mako reactor in Mt. Nibel having poisoned the area, not much in the manner of grass or vegetation grew in between the valley trenches and rocky pathways. Vincent, their enigmatic new member, led the way at a brusque pace. Once he halted in front of a landslide, pausing for a moment... but was able to find an alternate route to bypass it and they actually made good timing through the mountain valley. He mentioned very tursly that if they hurried they'd get to the other side of the range before nightfall. Otherwise they had brought 2 tents and a few supplies to go through it.

With a straight face he stated it would be better not too stay the night. For all their and other creatures lurked in the area.

They walked...and walked and walked and kept walking.

Yuffie complaining practically the whole entire way. Barret exploding once or twice before Aerith pulled him back and they proceeded with Vincent almost physically dragging Yuffie. Leading in the front at his brutal set pace, RedXIII in the middle and the flower girl and large AVALANCHE member in the back. Vincent seemed completely and utterly immune to the incessant buzzing that was the 16 year old teenage girl. She kept making comments and asking questions. Answered only by a brief looks, nods, shakes or by completely ignoring her in turns. Eventually she got tired of asking... or perhaps ran out of ideas for pestering questions... (those that weren't completely inappropriate anyhow).

They had been silent for what seemed like forever (exactly 30 minutes from the time Yuffie had stopped talking to when the Gunman suddenly stopped. His voice deep and cutting through the depressing atmosphere that had settled on the party after almost a full day of walking with very little breaks. All of them save for him and RedXIII where panting and out of breath.

"We're here."

Indeed, the mountain path they had been following seemed to open up and the horizon now revealed a bumpy hilled landscape with a greater concentration of plants and greenery. A forest compared to their previously depressing rock and sand colour decor.

"FINALLY!"

Yuffie collapsed to the ground and just hunched there, fully intending to stay seated at least for a the next few minutes. Barret did likewise, cursing of course at his stiff mountains. Aerith sat down gently on a rock and took her shoes off massaging her obviously sore feet. Her footwear wasn't made for all of the mountain trekking. They had been travelling for about 10 hours.

There was plenty of daylight time left and so Vincent left them to their own devices for the time being. Surveying the area. They where in a tight pass wedged between cliffs with a dozen or so feet between sheer walls. It opened up to a sharp earth incline that sloped into a forest area, there were some game trails that parted the leaves and offered a way down. Which signified that animals used this mountain passage regularly. Fartherup ahead there was a break in the trees, possibly a glade that opened up into medowland, easier to travel. A line of open trees zig-zagged through the forest, possibly a river. By memory alone, the Ex-Turk knew that an unnamed town lay ahead along that river which would lead them to cross their paths with a road from another non-discript village and led all the way to the sea. At least another 4 hours of walking lay ahead to reach the city.

"Ughh..." Yuffie had fallen on her back, completely exhausted.

Vincent frowned in thought. Human tolerance had reached it's limit it seemed. Even the hearty Barret seemed drained. The gentle flower girl who hadn't complained during the whole voyage, was resting, tired as well. He leaned on the cliff wall, crossing his arms, giving them their much needed break. It wasn't his place as a new member to force them into anything. He had simply been their guide, set the walking pace, they had followed out of necessity. He felt like a jerk now that he thought back on it. He wasn't used to this physical improvements. He internally shivered in repulsion at the thought of his own body modifications and what he'd suffered to get to be this way.

"We're so fortunate to have met with you Mr. Valentine."

The gunman opened his eyes, almost in an expression of surprise, looking for the one who had spoken to him until he lowed his head and met the single yellow eye of the beast they called RedXIII.

"..."

The cat's ears flickered pensively. "Without your help we would have never found our way through these mountains in such a relatively short amount of time."

"Well! I'm not thanking him at all! My feet feel like they've been stepped on by a wutain Adamantai-mai turtle!" Yuffie let out an aggravated sound.

"Shut your #?%& mouth. You're not the only sorry $?&*#$% sod that's hurting here!"

"Riiiiiight! I thought you were indestructible since your half made of metal!" She insulted Barret right back.

"Everyone! Let's just be quiet and rest, we're all hurting and in sour mood but we've made it on time. The good news is we might reach the town and not have to camp out tonight, thanks to our guide." Aerith managed to make it half convincing as she cringed.

It was then that everyone noticed her feet where actually bleeding from sores. She had never said a word of complaint to any of them, nor asked to slow down or take a break. Vincent blinked once and opened his mouth, closed it, then lowered his mouth in his cloak. With a soft expression that spoke of guilt.

His gaze snap suddenly outwards towards the forest.

His slouched posture straightened and he uncrossed his arms. RedXIII head almost moved simultaneously as quickly there too, ears pointed attentively. A moment passed, then figure jumped out of the bushes and barrelled into Red who control-fell backwards. Vincent had enough time to duck and turn as another grey creature meaning to hit him, jumped over him instead. The creature didn't stop after missing him however and immediately went after the prostate shinobi sitting on the rocks.

"Ahhhh!"

Within a split second Yuffie brought up her left arm guard up. Just in time for the creature to latch it's powerful jaws on the reinforced leather armguard, growling. Claws digging into her chest and leg painfully.

It looked like a wolf. A Bandersnatch!

4 others of it's packmates jumped from the incline from the forest brush into the open. Howling, they circled the gunman. Two went to aid their brethren against RedXIII. With a floorish of his cloak, which one of the Bandersnatch snapped at in vain, Vincent cast Haste then ran towards the prostated teenage girl. Jumping out horizontally, feet first, he barreling into creature that was trying to rip Yuffie's arm off. It yelped painfully as his metal pointed shoe pierced it's side in a horrible gash.

The Ex-turk managed to pry it off her arm by the force of his full body into the maneuver, landing on the other side of her, semi prostate. The creature's attention on him now. The sounds of RedXIII roaring and fighting a pair of Bandersnatches as well as Barret's machine-gun arm going off towards the other 2 rang in Vincent's ears.

All of this echoed between the cliff walls in a horrible raucous. The coal miner managed to hit one of the creatures that lopped off to the side, bleeding from it's front paw, the other broke off from the pack and went right after the coal miner and Aerith who was behind the big man, held her staff firmly in both hands.

Vincent had only a split second to register what was going on around him before the lupine creature he had just kicked off Yuffie lunged and snapped at him again. The gunman was propped down on his right foot which was tucked underneath his body. He noted that Yuffie was getting up, bleeding from scratches on her stomach. The creature snapped its jaws at his face.

Hasted, he backhanded it with his metal left hand, and in the same fluid movement, twirled and shifted his weight on the other leg, kicking it's front paws from under it, upholsterer his gun, pointed, aimed and shot.

-Hit!-

The creature stayed half fallen on it's face, dazed for a moment then it's hind legs collapsed completely. Twitching and foaming at the mouth. Poison affected it's nervous system from the paired Bio materia in his gun. It's movement quickly ceased and Vincent had enough time to stand up to see that the other creature attacking Barret and the flower girl was quickly being dealt with. Since the muscular man's gun-appendage was bloodied, it was obvious it had knocked one with the solid metal appendage. Aerith cracked her staff at it's head again and it's jaw twisted at an awkward angle, obviously dislocated.

The gunman calculated the risk in taking a shot, brought his left claw up for support aimed and shot the damaged creature. It fell in front of the Cetra girl.

Still hasted for a little while, Vincent quickly ran to assist RedXIII, the big cat had large gashes and bite marks, the two other Bandersnatches having ran him to the cliff wall. They pinned him there and took pot-shots bitting him. One of the creatures was obviously an Alpha. Probably the first to have engaged them. It was larger than even the great red-furred beast. The Ex-Turk aimed at it's head and shot.

A glancing hit.

The creature's hide was thicker and it's skull seemed to be the same. The gunman hadn't counted on any kind of armour on a Bandersnatch. Somehow the bullet only grazed it's skull, bounced and hit the cliff. The creature yelped but wasn't anywhere near death.

It was pissed.

Turning around, it's furious animalistic eyes found it's new target. There was perhaps 40 feet of running distance between him and the red-cloaked biped. It started to sprint. Unexpectedly, Yuffie bravely if not naive put herself between the alpha and him throwing her large shuriken.

"Greased Lightning!"

She used her limit break. Adrenaline pumping in her veins. The creature's thick fur took the whole brunt of her weapon's blow, almost unaffected by it. However it made changes to it's target.

"#?#&!"

Yuffie brought up her arm-band up again. Meeting the jaws of a gigantic wolf for a 2nd time today. The maw snapped onto the reinforced leather again. This time they all heard a distinctive crack of broken wooden braces, closing in onto her arm.

She screamed. Vincent blinked, surprised. He'd never had to fight in a large team like this before. He always operated solo. Momentary at a lost and confused at the ninja's actions. He freezed on how exactly to follow through in action. He saw the huge muscular creature's body leap up and ram into the small girl in front of him almost as if in slow motion. His heart clenched painfully at how the girl seemed so fragile compared to the Alpha Bandersnatche. It brought her down to the rocky ground with a sickening thud.

A second passed.

-Da dun- His heart beat strongly in his chest. Multiple thoughts competing in his mind; He couldn't use his gun, it might hit her. Besides it had hardly affected the creature at all!

Another second past.

-Da dun- His beating organ felt as if it were about to burst from his chest. He dropped his gun, extended his hands outwards. Crouched. Jumped. Metal Claw latching, twisting on top of the creature as he jumped almost fully over it. He pulled his whole body weight to one side trying to rip it off her. Like he had the last one. For any normal sized wolf, this would have been enough to knock it off, just as his kick had for it's pack-mate.

Not so for the Alpha.

The 400 pound creature ignored him completely and tugged it's head left and right, opening it's jaws once to try and catch the young Wutain by the throat. She screamed, panicking, but had enough presence of mind to keep her arm-guard near her face. The creature latched on her arm again, it's teeth piercing the flesh of her arm through the leather, shards of the wood-frame digging into her muscles.

She kept screaming.

_'Screams! A women screaming! Help! Pain! Helplessness! My fault! My fault!'_

"Yuffie!"

RedXIII half roared half-yelled out the girl's name as he fought off the other Bandersnatches. The gunman was half aware of the others standing away helping him, unable to do anything without injuring him or the girl. He couldn't do anything! He couldn't protect anyone! Not even these people he'd just met! Worthless! Worthless! WORTHLESS!

"Rrraaaaaaaah!"

Vincent lifted his golden claw slashing downwards again, striking as hard as he could.

Digging the metal tips and twisting them into the back of the creature. He kept hitting, out of his mind. He even bit down into the stinking dirty fur, sinking his teeth as hard as he could! Twisting his head. Propping his feet to it's side kicking. His metal pointed tips slashing into the fur. He kicked, kicked and kicked. Again and again. Mauling, hacking and rending Anything! Anything! ANYTHING!

Something hot and gooey came out. He heard a whine, a choke. Noises faded. A rush passed his head, his heart was in his ears. The young girl? The beast? Him? At some point, there was no longer any resistance.

Yuffie had stopped screaming a while ago. He kept his teeth, golden claw and feet propped up on the bulk of the thing. Tense. Shaking. Something was wrong... Everything was wrong... Something in him had escaped momentarily. Something had snapped.

He caught it before it escaped completely from his control.

After a moment, the others came closer and Vincent let go of the mess of fur with a start.

Shakily, but as rapidly as he could, the gunman got up. Turning from them, stumbling once. His boots caught in the entrails of the monster momentarilly. Walking away from the gruesome scene to the cliff wall, leaving blood red prints on the rock as he moved in a crooked line.

He spat out bits of fur from his mouth which he had apparently torn. He leaned onto a cliff wall with his leather arm and pressed his forehead on it. The left metal claw dripped red with gore. The Ex-Turk was half aware of Yuffie's sobs and Aerith's soothing crooning, Barret's cursing and RedXIII was asking him something but he couldn't understand the words.

He attempted to control his breath first. In from the nose, out the mouth. In from the nose, out the mouth. He was still Hasted. Smelling the earthy aroma of the cliff wall, he listened to the wind and the leaves rustling. Ignoring the stench of blood, trying to banish the echos of the piercing screams of a young woman. It was too close... He wished it would have been week from his long slumber than what it was now.

He'd lost himself for a moment there.

"Are you alright?"

He didn't look to see whom had addressed him. Knowing very well it was Red and that he'd been asking the questions a few times on momentarilly deaf ears. His throat constricted at the thought of talking more than a few words. He looked away from his concerned allies. Extricating himself from the cliff wall and walking towards the inclined slope. He did so deliberatly with confidence. Not trusting himself around the others for at least the next few moments, yet conveying some sense of calm and collected thought he stopped a moment.

"I'll wash up."

Sliding down, the red cloaked man disappeared into the forest.

o0o

**Author's notes:**

Vincent is one of those strong personalities, difficult to write about from a loose point of view without making him OC and emotionally anguished. I don't see him at all as the type of overly exacerbating angsty emo type. So I've taken as a mission not to have him fall into this emo-ness thing.


	4. Misspercepted thoughts and intentions

**Chapter 4: Missperceived thoughts and intentions.**

o0o

A fairly short while later they found Vincent at the river's edge as he'd said. Washing up. His back to them with only his cloak apparently wrapped around his upper waist. Pants dripping wet on the dead leaves scattered on the forest floor. It was around 4pm and they only had a few hours of daylight left in the sky at this time of year. Not enough to get to Rocket town, especially in their haggard and worn out condition.

He was scrubbing away the gore of the creature he'd kill viscerally. Attacking his leather jacket top, bandana, boots and right hand glove which he seemed to have removed. All of these hung on branches and lay on rocks surrounding him. Following his trail hadn't been too difficult, he'd been covered in the gory stuff anyways. Even his hair was dripping pink water as he ringed the water out of the red bandana that kept his raven hair in check.

As they approached, he turned his head slightly, acknowledging them with a nod. Much more collected than before. The Ex-Turk noticed Yuffie was back on her feet. Looking pale but without the expected life-threatening gashes from the Alpha Bandersnatch. Aerith had healed her with a Cure materia. The bamboo and leather armguard was ruined though and only it's tongs remained to attack it to her shoulder armor piece.

Vincent turned back with haunted look still in his eyes as he continued washing. Tightening his cloak around his form, he went back to cleaning his claw, picking bits of fur from between the joints. They kept their distance from him, not knowing exactly what to do or say after his brutal show. He seemed to be concentrating deeply on getting clean. Not even RedXIII went as feral as they had seen the gunman do on the creature! It was in complete contradiction to the personality they had seen him with up till now. Cool, controlled, detached and in check. A collected and silent killer. The wouldn't admit out loud but he certainly epitomized what the Turks represented as an organized entity.

The first person to break the awkward silence was obvious...

"VINCENT! THANK YOU!"

Yuffie almost careened into the other man's back with an intended appreciative hug, expecting him to accept her show of gratitude like everyone else in the group did. A miss-calculation on her part.

She found herself sprawled on the ground his glove-less hand spread wide in the middle of her chest to the forest floor. Vincent's panic wide-eyed metal claw poised back at an angle to strike. Yuffie's eyes briefly registered the golden claw but was much more preoccupied in following the scars on his forearm to the flash of pale white skin, crisscrossed with surgical cuts, large metallic stitches keeping slabs of him apparently together and a large ugly burn where is heart should be.

That wasn't normal at all!

With a noise that sounded half a choke and half a grunt. Almost an agknowledgment of her thank you but also a furthur warning to her touching him, Vincent broke his hold and turned away. Edging back to the river, holding his cloak closer, he bent down to splash more water onto his face. Going back to scrubbing his metal claw again.

All expression on his face seemed to melt as if there had been nothing there all along and returned to what they were used to normal. Which none of the members of AVALANCHE were really sure was anymore, having witnessed what they had.

Aerith walked to the young flabbergasted Wutain and brought the ninja back to her feet. Barret was just scratching his head, holding back comments and Red simply closed his good eye and shook his head at the girl's foolishness. Sighing, he thanked Gaea it hadn't been any worse. He had a hunch it could have been...

"We'll set up camp for tonight. I think we've had enough excitement for one day..."

They started to unpack their meagre belongings. Barret dumped the two tents, Yuffie and Aerith's bags had some small blankets, cooking packs and supplies and Red's rucksack had some food.

They had heard Vincent snapping the water out of his jacket and he returned wearing the damp leather garment along with river stones to line a fire pit. He seemed uncomfortable in the wet cloths. Scars forgotten... they decided it best to just let whatever had happened be and play it out by ear. It was an oddly unanimous decision made without conversing. For now they simply concentrated on making camp.

Vincent dug the fire pit, Yuffie went to collect wood around the clearing. Red was busy with Barret setting the tent. Holding cords and pushing in pins in. As helpful as any of them. Aerith had filled a pan with water and was peeling vegetables. Stationary, giving her feet some well deserved rest. Each member of the team seemed to know exactly what to do. The biggest surprise was how easily Vincent fell into their group still. No one had asked him to dig a fire-pit yet he had started working on a fire. He'd risked his life for Red and Yuffie, just like any of them would have.

-Shlinck Shlinck-

"What the #?*$ is that horrible noise?" Barret was holding the last peg of a tent while RedXIII was pulling it.

Rope in mouth, the big cat couldn't say anything but looked like he wanted to tell Barret to hurry up with his eyes. Yuffie was leaning over the pile of branches and dried leaves she'd put into the fire pit. Vincent was bent over it as well.

"He's making sparks with his claws! That's so cool! I want a pair of those!" She pointed excitedly.

The gunman ignored the excited teen. He made the striking metallic noise a few more times then bent down and softly blew on the smouldering brambles until it grew into a small flame, nursing it into the fire with incredible ease.

"Hey Vince!" The gunman turned to see Barret ploped down onto a stone next to the slow starting fire. "You han'led yerself pretty well there. First time we saw you in a fight! Sharp shootin that!"

"...!" Vincent's eyes opened abruptly and he stood up, patting the side of his belt. Then looking back concernedly at the way he had come down through the forest.

"Lookin fo yer gun? I picked it up fer ya." The man picked the smallish pistol in his left hand from a side pocket and handed it to the former assassin.

Vincent stood still another moment and retrieved his gun, holstering it "... Thank you."

"Yer welcome man." Barret sniffed in the cold air. "How'bout you show us how well ya can pick stuff out with that skinny thing? Gunman to gunman! Of course., Ya know? I'm not real accurate with this thing!" He pat the top of his gunarm. Laughing good humorously "I just do support firin. But I can still appreciate a good marksman show!"

The red eyes blinked, eyebrows furrowed slightly then Vincent expression smoothed into impassiveness. Unreadable as always, looking at Barret's prosthetic gunarm for a moment.

"I supposed that would be... fine."

"REALLY! That would be so COOL!" The all-but forgotten ninja jumped from her crouched position from the fire.

Minutely, if someone had been paying attention, they would have seen Vincent's eyes startle open a bit , his shoulders jump by a fraction of an inch caught slightly off guard by Yuffie's sudden pop-up. Unneasy about her, now that she had seen a frightening side of him. However it almost seemed as if it had never happened. The Shinobi was all smiles towards him and he couldn't detect a shred of disshonest deception from his new comrade in arms.

Barret and Yuffie set up a test range, enthusiastically chatting about all the challenges the Ex-Turk could accomplish and setting them up. Which was the complete opposite of what he'd witnessed of the two before... which was constant bickering.

He chalked it down to being rusty in observation. His mind was also still unsettled with the last few day's happenings. He had dreamed away the last 25 years. And just like anyone who goes to sleep in the night and wakes up later without feeling the passage of time clearly, so had he. In Vincent Valentine's mind, all of what had happened to him; the experimentations and torture performed on him by a mad scientist, were all very recent.

His hands... had scars caused by his own attempts at taking his life only a few months ago in his own recollection. In reallity it had been years ago. Yet he remembered so clearly. Most of the other things done to him... he'd really rather not... He remembered... the smell of blood. Panic, screaming, rage as he saw the professor re-enter the chamber he was kept in. Attacking. Growling. Something that wasn't him... but using his body loose in his mind. A feeling that he had just felt moment ago up on the mountain pass against the Bandersnatch.

Numbness... anaesthetics maybe... Then... sleep, dreams, nightmares.

Had 25 years really passed?

These people from AVALANCHE... couldn't possibly be all lyingé He had witnessed the state of the mansion with his own eyes. It had been clean before when he'd worked here as a Turk. The structure was now in disrepair. Nibelheim as a whole, hadn't changed much. It was a contradiction... A strange mystery.

Vincent Valentine as a Turk was a natural case solver. A detective of sorts. Although he himself was more of an assassin... per say. Deduction and observation was a skill that could never be taken away from him. It caused a curious itch. Something to solve.

Snapping out of his current thoughts for a moment, the gunman saw the flower girl approach him with a pot of vegetables she had cut and cleaned. She smiled and mouthed a hello. Gentle as the plants she tended.

He remembered her name: Aerith Gainsborough...

Gainsborough... he'd heard the name before. It irritated him...

"... Gast." He said aloud.

The red head quickly turned her head, the gentle smile vanished. "Excuse me?"

"You are Professor Gast Gainsborough's child... Ifalna's daughter... are you not?"

His mouth hidden in the confines of his cloak, his expression neutral. The redhead couldn't read into his intentions as he asked. It was however... the first substantial amount of talking he'd had with any of them since they'd released him from the colfin in the mansion.

"How...? How do you know him? No one..." Aerith looked close to panic.

Vincent didn't know what to do. He hadn't known this information would unsettle her. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, uncomfortable for causing her distress.

"I apologize for prying into what seems a sensitive subject. I had simply made his acquaintance once in the past... On account of my father's work."

The Ex-turk turned towards the fire. He was sure now that she was... an Ancient, a Cetra. Gast had been the lead scientist and discoverer of Jenova. He had introduced him to his wife... hmm Ifalna if he remembered. The professor made no secret of the fact that she was a member of that all but vannished people. No one had told him when he'd joined who Aerith was exactly. She'd just confirmed her lineage by her reaction to Dr. Gast's name. He was pleasantly surprised. It was one of the first times he felt such inner calmness since his awakening and joining them. A connection with his past at long last that he could relate to.

However, Vincent hade expected her to have a different type of personality. Tainted... like him he supposed, from what the Jenova project had done to so many human beings. Himself and Lucretia's son.

"No... don't apologize. It's just that..." Aerith looked for the words as she put the pot of vegetables and water next to the fire and stirred slightly. "My father and mother hid me... I've never met anyone else who'd known them personally."

Vincent looked at the women with a sidelong glance. She was staring off at the fire. Had he opened wounds that she might have rather kept closed? Her life's story unfolded in front of him. Pieces of a 20 year old puzzle's pieces slowly clicked into place in front of him. His only real connection with this time and age.

"Mr. Valentine... what was my father like?"

He blinked. "... You've never met him?"

She lowered her head to look at her cooking pot again. Her lack of response was his answer.

"A great scientist... Well spoken and passionate of his work. If my suspicions are correct... perhaps a moral and honourable man?" He finished with just a hint of a question.

Aerith smiled but didn't look up to the red eyed gunman. Vincent continued, pleased that he could help elucidate this gentle women's past for her. Returning her welcome affection of him within the group with this flavor.

"He didn't let them go through with their plans." He half-stated half-asked. "Did he ?"

She continued to stir the pot, but shook her head, a sad smile on her face.

He felt again, slight guilty for being the cause of it in the first place. Even though there was a sad joy behind it. The red cloaked gunman saw in the corner of his eye the Wutain and coal-miner returning happily towards the camp. He looked down briefly to Aerith again.

"One soul was saved from my sins that day it seems... I'm at least glad for that."

Her brow furrowed and she looked up at him puzzled. Vincent's gaze lifted, purposely avoiding seeing her green eyes asking questions of him he wasn't ready to answer.

Walking forward to finally meet the two excited members who seemed done setting up their targets. Each bet gil on what he would manage to shoot from their setup range.

Aerith forgot the food, her gaze trained on the mysterious man that had revealed so much in only a few words. The soft padding of paws on the ground startled her slightly when RedXIII sat next to her, furred body pressed to her. Neither of them said anything. Both thought the same thing. Piecing together their own bits of the puzzle he left them with.

'What an odd mysterious self-tortured man...'

o0o

Yuffie won the bet. A fire 3 materia! Oh Joy!

When it came to Turks, Barrett believed them completely inept, which he now seriously regretted believing about Vincent.

"#?&* Turks these days have really gone down! That was tha best shootin I've ever seen!" Barret collapsed down onto a rock which he used a seat. "And I've seen alot of shootin! Hahaha!"

The black haired gunman didn't smile, but his features had soften greatly from their usual severity. They catalogued it in their book of Vincent's expression as his way of expressing that he was at least now comfortable with them and maybe pleased. Not as tense as he seemed to be the whole time he'd known him.

"Barret! He's obviously tons better than those morons Rude and Reno! How could you even compare him to them!"

"..." Vincent had no idea who these people were but he theorized they might be ShinRa turks in relation to himself being one. "I was an elite sharpshooter."

Yuffie's smile reached her ears at the very rare and offered information their mysterious new member had divulged. She'd only briefly heard from RedXIII that Vincent mentioned he'd been a Turk when they'd found him.

"Elite? You mean like SOLDIER first class in the ShinRa military? I didn't know that they had elite Turks anymore! That's GREAT!"

Vincent's head cocked to the side. "... First class?" The raven haired man checked the safety on his gun before holstering it. "I suppose it could be interpreted as such a thing..." He sounded uncertain of this answer.

Truthfully he'd heard it mention off the side that the man they pursued, Lucrecia's son, was part of an elite military they called SOLDIER. 25 years ago, the SOLDIER faction they were talking about didn't existed it was still a project name in the works. ShinRa had been powerful, but also a young company amongst others. The Turks had been their informers. Spies and go-getters. Other companies, if his memory wasn't completely faulty, had existed which had competed with the energy provider.

Vincent had been one of those previous spies, however he'd gotten a much better deal with ShinRa. Who not only offered to pay him better but gave him aditional military training that he hadn't before. There was also some prestige attached to this company and he had liked the respect people gave him when they learnt he was a Turk. His father had been somewhat a factor in his decision since he had started to work for Shinra under grants. Grimoire had died in a botched experiment and Vincent had received a substantial amount of condolescance money from the company at his passing. He had never heard the full details of his sire's death... they hadn't been particularly close. But he'd been curious enough to accept being an attaché to the science development team and department... to his eternal regret.

Today, he had learnt from the AVALANCHE that ShinRa ran the whole world. It no longer had any competition. Not a surprise, looking back at the type of aggressive work Shinra had demanded of him. It had also overran the last free state of Wutai 6 or so years ago during his sleep. It was apparently in this war that Sephiroth and SOLDIER had been elevated as heroes and soon after, he had disappeared.

Something didn't fit right in this story...

The Ex-Turk slowly re-fit bullets in a few of Quicksilver's cartridge as he thought. He wondered why such a powerful and capable man like Sephiroth would wait 5 years to act until now? There was a loose end somewhere in all this. However he didn't have enough information to piece it together for now.

"Hey Barret! We have a first class Turk to go against a first class SOLDIER! Maybe we can beat the silver haired bastard after all!" Loud and expressive as always Yuffie punched the air.

"..."

Truly these people where amazing to put so much faith in such a fallible person such as he. If they only knew how horrible a blunder he'd fallen into to get into the coffin in the first place...

o0o

They met the others in Rocket town as well as a pilot named Cid. It was here that Cloud and Vincent fought together side by side for the first time. The silent gunman now realized why Barrett and Tifa had thought so lowly of him when he'd mentioned he had been from the Turk.

These so-called Turks where nothing more than lowly mafia goons. Nothing like the glorious and prestigious rank of spies he remembered being part of! Unfortunately this made Vincent feel awkward when he fought Reno. Almost like facing himself in his younger years. The uniforms hadn't changed much though... the red-headed teen wasn't wearing his properly. Which urked him.

Luck was not on their side as they tried to steal back the tiny Bronco from ShinRa. They crash landed it into the sea. They made a new ally in the gruff pilot who unhappily re-fit his airplane as a jerry-rigged boat. Cid swore about as much as Barett but oddly enough his tastes contrasted greatly between fine tea and good quality brands cigarettes. The tea thing he didn't mind. But the cigarettes where annoyingly pungent to his sensitive nose.

It was only recently that he had realized just how his body had become overly sensitive. Had his hearing and his sense of smell had become enhanced after spending so long in a sense-depriving coffin? Or was it his body modification? He really couldn't tell. Really didn't want to know.

Light, sound, smell and even taste overwhelmed Vincent every so often. He covered his eyes with his bandanas in bright daylight, stood apart from them listening from afar and stayed to the shadows as part of his Turk habit.

Yuffie had started to call him a vampire and Barrett had caught onto it too. Red seemed irritated for his sake every time they used the monicker. Out of the corner of his eyes, the gunman would see the red cat sigh or shake his head almost half absently. Meant in good-nature, the Ex-Turk found it actually did bother him but he would never outwardly admit to it. He just confined in his mind. He would keep that information from them as long as was possible. Though he was pretty sure they suspected it already. Simply by the fact that they had started calling him by a night creature's name.

"So where too now?" Cid flicked a cigarette into the sea, having finished recalibrating the propellers down into the ocean so they could get more forward throttle.

Cloud leaned on his oversized sword, chin on the pommel top.

"I know Sephiroth mentioned something about a Reunion. But Rufus' is heading southward to something called the temple of the ancients... I think Sephiroth might head down there then... or might already be there. It has to be important somehow."

"Hey!" Yuffie interupted the blonde. "I know a weapon seller near Gongaga that's been there before! He wouldn't stop rattling about the ruins and treasure. I've always wanted to go there myself but he said you needed a key to enter the ruins. Maybe he knows where it would be?"

"Wonderful..." Cloud didn't sound exactly thrilled at the prospect of working on Yuffie's word alone.

"..." The gunman stepped next to their blond leader. Uncrossing his arms always meant he would say something important. "Securing a means of entering the ruins before ShinRa can acquire it, would put us a step ahead."

"You're right." The blonde scratched his head absently. "I'm not a mapmaker... but we'd need to loop all the way back around the continent for this wouldn't we?"

The pilot tapped his speak on the metal hulk of his fallen bird. "Dontcha worry spikey, I know this whole continent like the back of my hand. Maneuvering these waterways'll be a piece of cake!"

His energetic exuberance was catchy and Cloud smiled despite their water-sodden state. He was surprised the gunman wasn't complaining, the cloak seemed incredibly heavy with all that water dripping from it.

"Weeeeeell since we'll be winging on the West side, we could drop in Wutai couldn't we?"

"I suppose... We'll need supplies anyways. Though we can't stay there very long."

"Sure..."

Vincent thought it odd the Ninja didn't seem as happy as he'd thought with the prospect of going home.

o0o

"#$?*(!"

"##$!$#" Cid echoed Barret.

"Come back here you pathetic excuse of a klepto-maniac! " Cait Sith cat-called through his megaphone towards the last spot they'd seen the ninja dissapear.

"..."

"Damn! This sets us back! " Cloud planted his sword firmly into the ground, irritated as much as the rest of them.

Lowering his head, he brushed both gloved hand in his sweaty hair. The fight with Shinra having riled him up, he tried to calm down.

The Wutai thief had stolen all their materia in the confusion of the fight! Including all that had been in their weapons. All of them where surprised. When had she managed to pick those off? Even Vincent shrugged when they asked him if his materia orbs where still in his Quicksilver. For once, the former Turk was impressed, he'd been mugged without him noticing this time!

The kid had some talent and learnt his habits fast. Now she'd only need to live past the murdering rage of the other members once they caught her to put those talents to better use.

"Well. It's not like we don't know where she'll head to..."

The group, grumbling, set out for Wutai which was (to their best knowledge) a few hours of walking northward. They had the disadvantage of not knowing the terrain very well and there were a few gullies and streams they had to maneuver through or over. They met a few creatures that weren't much a threat to them. Near the end of the 2nd hour of walking, a large shadow passed over them and the two only ranged members drew their weapons. In the case of Barrett, the man simply lifted his arm. For such a gigantic the Garuda condor had crept on all of them unannounced. It went for the stuffed toysaurus immediately. The cat being the flashiest of all of them on it's giant white lumber thing.

"Akk!" The mechanic cat jumped out from the bird' gigantic talens crushed the mog. Hydraulics and electrical wires severed almost instantly. Giant beak diving straight into the body. "My gracious goodness me!"

"Skreeeeeeetch!" The electrical shock traveled back to the winged creature and it beat it's wings once throwing itself back, releasing the pile of non-functioning electrical units. The useless robot landed on the ground and back handed the pile with it's head. Sending it careening into the group. The Garuda wasn't a dumb creature and used it as a diversion.

Barret immediately sent shots after the feathered beast and Cloud took care of knocking the mog's body away from them all with his Rune Blade. The little black cat dove and rolled safely to the side, no longer able to physically contribute without it's large mog unit. The winged monster flicked a wing out and a cold chill snapped in front of it, hitting the flower girl.

Taking aim, Vincent shot a few times at the creature. It had almost no effect. From the corner of his eye he saw RedXIII leap onto the thing and manage to grab and tear a mouthful of feathers. Unfortunately it didn't help much either. Without their magic and materia, they where incredibly vulnerable. However, Cid seemed to be extremely pissed off from everything that had happened today, especially the destruction of his pride and joy; the tiny bronco. The pilot yelled out jumping up and diving down with his spear. He managed to pin the wing of the Garuda. Who screamed it's obvious pain.

A limit break perhaps for the pilot?

At least now the battle seemed to be winnable. The giant bird flailed and flung it's other wing out hitting Barret with a thunderbolt. The shock sent the large man barrelling to the ground.

"BARRET!" The flower girl immediately ran to his side, she was their best medic. Without cure materia though they couldn't afford to suffer too much damage.

"Skrraaaaaaaawk!" The garuda pushed Cid from atop it's wing, though the spear remained in the flesh of it's appendage. Cid controlled rolled but had a nasty gash at the upper edge over his gloves. Wounded, the creature fought even more fiercely. It ran almost like a raptor to the main core of the group. Vincent dived and rolled away.

His cape must have gotten it's attention because it snapped and snagged on a part of it's wickedly sharp beak and Vincent found himself pulled into the air by it. Almost chocking as it started to tighten around his neck. The cloak would usually blurr his form in a gunfight but was a dissadvantaged in other instances. Which was why Vincent preffered firing at range.

Like a puppet, the giant bird threw him up in the air. Disoriented, the gunman lost his grip on the Quicksilver, his pistol fell from his hand to the ground.

Cosmo canyon's guardian lunged and caught the bird's neck just in time to foul it's killing aim. Instead of crushing the black haired gunman's whole mid-waist. Something that would have in most likelihood snapped his spine. It clamped on his whole right leg, the hooked part of it's beak piercing clear through the left thigh while the whole right was being compressed farther in it's beak.

"Nrrrrrraaaaaagh!"

Vincent let out a blood curdling scream of agony. RedXIII kept his grip on the creature neck, mauling and raking. The Garuda had other plans and beats it's wings, preparing to take off. The gunman could feel the beak scraping on the bone of his leg, the warm liquid of his lifeblood seeping down his thigh. He felt lightheaded from the pain. Everything slowed down. The beating of the creatures wings. The yelling of his other teammates.

And then, he was gone...

o0o

RedXIII's bad eye was an incredible handicap as he latched onto the Garuda's neck. He heard Vincent scream but had no idea what had happened! He feared the worst! The giant bird was taking off and there was nothing he could do! Feeling his grip of the monster failing, claws slipping on slick feathers. He gave it one last kick to the neck, hoping to open a wound of some kind before another beat of it's wings launched it half in the air and the lurch jostled him off.

The red cat/wolf fell landed on his feet and had enough time to get out of the way of a sharp talon as the creature half flew, half bounced away with Vincent Valentine still in it's mouth. He saw Cloud's sword come down to open the bird's haunch and it kicked as it flailed away. Stepping on the blonde's sword, twisting in place to face them yet still beating it's wings in an attempt to take off.

It was then that they had their first clear view of Vincent.

The man was unconscious... but something seemed awfully wrong. His eyes where wide open and a bloodshot red...

Very suddenly it seemed the gunman came back to himself and pulled himself up in an almost sitting position in the creature's jaw. Twisting both his hands fixed onto the creatures fore face and feathers. Roaring at it's face

"RRRRRROOOAAAR!"

It all happened at once! The transformation...

Vincent's body lurched and twisted, his pierced leg cracked as his legs bent the other way and pried the creature's mouth open by it's force and size alone. The hole in his haunch closing instantaneously, skin turning deep purple, horns jutted out of his head, face extending into a wicked jaw and his black hair turning and crinkling into a bloodshot red colour, streaked with albino and tearing noises of leather, linen and belt buckles snapped open. The sounds rang in each AVALANCHE member's ears. Pieces of Vincent's cloths fell to the ground. His cape thumped onto the ground relatively intact.

The Garuda was as shocked as them, it's beak gaping open as the monster that had been Vincent Valentine dextrously clambered out of it's mouth like a nimble lizard or squirrel despite it's being as big as the Garuda's whole head. Lower legs holding firmly into the beak, cracking it's hind leg's claws and talons into the brittle bone and cartilage. Lifting both it's wickedly clawed hands, the new wolven creature brought the full force of it's forearms down into it's face, gashing both eyes of the mythical bird! The giant avian fell forward, already in it's death cries as the Galian Beast proceeded to tear into it's face, head and neck frantically. Jumping, lunging, mauling, clawing.

Enraged.

At this point, the Garuda was only beating it's wings and clenched it's clawed feet in reflex but was already quite on it's way towards death. The behemoth-offshoot of a creature Vincent had turned to had become latched onto the base of a twitching wing and was proceeding on pulling on it. Just like a dog playing with a rope, the Galian beast yanked it left and right. Jumping one way then the other, with all it's might. Pulling. Twisting. Pulling. Tendons snapped, bones poked out as well as sinew, until all movements stopped from the avian.

Not daring to disturb the senseless beasts' carnage of the monstrous Garuda's corpse, the members of AVALANCHE simply watched in horror.

The triumphant purple creature howled bloody victory and a sudden wind carried the full smell of death to them. It bent down and proceeded to feed on the corpse of it's prey. Ripping out feathers, spitting them out, tearing afterwards into the skin. Large chunks of meat chewed hastily if not at all, then swallowed almost whole.

Of all the members present, RedXIII was perhaps the only one that knew how unwise it would be to disturb it's feeding. Cloud, brave as he was, tried to retrieve his Rune blade sword. This caught the Galian's attention. It stopped feeding to stare at them with the same enraged and frenzied expression it had when it had faced the Garuda.

Head snapping up the remnants of Vincent's red bandana dangling from the creature's horns, blood dripping from it's mandibles, it's whole body tense with restrained muscle power, tail whipping left and right, making itself as daunting as it could, like any creature would naturally do, protecting it's prey.

"Grrrrrrrrr..."

It smacked it's jawls, blood dripping from unbelievably pointed fangs. Hackles raised, a defensive stance. A deep threatening rumble kept rolling in the back of it's throat. Ready to attack again at any moment.

"Vincent?" Aerith ventured.

The creature's gaze snapped to the flower girl. It's whole body jumped, repositioning to face the girl. Pieces of Vincent's cloth and belts jingling and dangling off it's form. For a split second everyone was convinced it would lunge.

Barret, half-sitting near the red-head pointed his gun-arm at it. Cid, spear-less crouched on the ground ready to roll to save the girl. Cloud felt naked without his sword as well but did the same as Cid and Cait Sith simply looked small on the ground with only his megaphone. His mechanical mog ruined. They didn't stand a chance against this creature's wrath without magic if they hadn't been able to handle the Garuda.

The rolling growls abruptly stopped. The snarling fanged jaws closed slowly. The creature's breathing evened out. The wide blood-shot eyes relaxed and the red receded and where human once more.

Just as fast as it had become the Galian, the creature reverted into the form of Vincent.

The monster's almost human-like arms hugged itself for a moment and then it fell to it's side in obvious pain. This transformation back seemed much more painful for it's host than turning into the Galian Inhumane howls and whimpers of a tortured beast became those of a man suffering through hell. In an almost epileptic horror scene, the features turned human once more and revealed Vincent, half naked in the tattered remains of his cloths. His hands stretched outwards shacking still as the odd purplish skin colouring faded and claws retracted into his right hand.

A moment passed and the Ex-Turk turned in the carnage to face them. For those that had seen it before, he had the same frightened look after the Bandersnatch encounter. Absolute horror and mortification. Managing to prop himself into a sitting position, Vincent turned away slightly before bending down, hands holding himself up shakily starting to gag, followed immediately by the sound of vomiting. Regurgitating everything the Galian had consumed of the Garuda. The sight and sound of Vincent being sick made some members turn in disgust, but mostly sympathy. After a few moment, they heard dry heaving, a small whimper and a dull wet thunk. They found the gunman unconscious in his own sick and the steaming remains of the Garuda.

"Oh...Vincent." Aerith whispered sadly."What did they do to you?"

Even Barrett was shaking, shocked.

o0o

Churning red, needles, bubbling remains. Blood. Acrid smell of sterility. Chemicals. Wake up! Wake up!

"Hannnn...!"

Vincent came too bolting upright. Instantly feeling incredibly sick and nauseated. Almost as if he'd imbibed too much alchool. His mouth was pasty and foul tasting, memories returned to him slowly. He had transformed into... 'it'. In front of his allies! Sitting up rapidly was not a good idea. The Ex-Turk groaned painfully, every muscle in his body hurt! Someone supported him from the back, propping him up and brought something to his lips. It smelt like...

Water!

He drank.

"Not too fast..." Aerith's gentle voice reached past the groggy fog his brain was slowly pushing istelf out of.

Chocking slightly on the liquid "did...did? I Hurt someone... did I...?" He gasped, breathing loudly, confused and not fully aware yet.

"No... Vincent, you saved us." Cloud's voice.

Damn he hated this, feeling exposed and at a loss for words or explanations.

"Damn Vincent you gave us a ?%!*& scare there! What's the %$# is that thing you have living in ya?" Cid mouthed behind a cigarette.

Vincent lifted a glove-less hand rubbing his eyes to clear them and looked around between them. They had entered a town. They had dragged him in his sorry state of undress through the streets? He groaned at the embarassing thought.

"Guess you overdid it eh?" The older sand-blonde man laughed heartily.

The Ex-Turk jerked his head up to look at the pilot. How could he take this situation so lightly? Cloud along with Red in the room along with Aerith. Who had, as the healer she was, tended to him and washed him it seems. Cloud, interestingly enough, didn't look too worried, just a healthy dose of concerned for him.

"..." He looked aside a moment, his head still throbbing. "I..."

"He doesn't need to talk about it if he doesn't want to." Aerith interjected after his long hesitation.

The large lupine cat closed his good eye and nodded agreeing. "We still need to find you some new garments. Not to mention our predicament witYuffie..."

"Right." Cloud picked up the Runeblade, he hefted it up over his shoulder, knowing exactly where the back-clip was to let it rest comfortably on his shoulders "Lets go find that damn brat!"

The lupine cat hoisted itself up on all 4. "We'll go get you some change of cloths as well Mr. Valentine."

Cid, Cloud and Red exited the inn's room. Vincent was left with Aerith. Feeling much better, but still tired Vincent hoisted a leg up under the covers. Leaning his right hand and upper body on it, looking forward at the far wall and brooding on events.

"Are you hungry Mr. Valentine ?" The flower girl asked.

He shook his head.

Not after all that, his mouth still tasted the blood of the creature and his head still hurt terribly from dehydration which caused him nausea. He was a mess. The bed's blanket at least gave him some false sense of dignity, he kept it close to him. His cloths were in tatters from the transformation and half of his black shirt hung, thread-like on the desk in the middle of the room.

A gentle hand, like a warm summer sun's kiss pressed on his right shoulder and he glanced at it briefly, unable to look at the girl's face. Perhaps afraid of seeing her expression of pity or fear. His pride and the last of his dignity couldn't take either.

"Let me know if you need anything, I'll be in the other room."

Aerith's voice was calm, there was no inflections or intonations that carried with it hints of disgust. Nor of any over-concern or fear of him. Simple plain sympathy. Not pity which he abhored. The Ex-Turk, hesitated. Tensing underneath the rare human contact. Slowly and relunctantly he relaxed and dared to look back at her. Aerith had her eyes closed in that half-contented expression that was a habit of hers. Her gentle features and demeanour made Vincent forget his troubles even if only for a brief moment. The gunman had observed the way she affected all her friends this way. He couldn't understand why she had this power over him. Not only him but all of his comrades. Perhaps it was her being an ancient... senses or abilities to hear and see past her young years?

She was a paradox, yet this allowed him to find enough peace to fall into a light doze.

Nightmares greeted him back into their cruel embrace.

o0o

Eventually Red and the others where able to find some, more-or-less the same, black cloths. Although they weren't meant for battle and he would need to replace them soon, they would do to cover the collection of scars he possessed. His Cloak had been retrieved rather intact and after a good wash was wearable again. He felt hyperconscious of the fact that they had all seen him turn into a monster as well as an oppertunity to see his surgical scars a few times as well. They'd seen his maimed body and could obviously piece clues from the Nibelheim mansion with his own presence. Unfortunately his attempts at keeping them in the dark about himself and what had been done to him had failed horribly the more time he spent time with them. Vincent mentally berated himself for ever thinking that it could be otherwise.

That aside, they were finally able to concentrate on searching for the thieving shinobi once he was stable on his feet. Which wasn't long, a few hours and he had recuperated rapidly. Although concerned that he hadn't fully recovered from his 'transformation', he brushed their worry aside by doning the cloths they provided and rapidly and joining them in the hotel lounge. He was startled to find the Turks at the Turtle inn's bar. Subconsciously he patted his weapon, ready for a fight. Thankfully though, the down-trodden looking faction of Shinra spies were not there on official business and had no wish to engage them again.

Mentally Vincent would have scoffed and sighed at the lack of professionalism the Turks now exhibited in their ranks. Slowly but surely a theory formed in his mind that funds might have been shifted out of his former department in ShinRa for the last 25-some years he'd dissapeared.

"Yo! Isn't that...?" The red-head said off to the side and whispered the rest to his calm bald sun-glassed friend. The other's eyes where unreadable behind his lenses.

The gunman frowned, knowing he was the subject but otherwise ignored the vacationing agents. Adjusting his too tight collar for the 10th time. Vincent Valentine felt uncomfortable in his new cloths, not because they were unpleasantly tight or itchy but the material was in fact too soft on his skin and he felt oddly out of place. Almost as if the other members had pampered him by purchasing them from their own group funds. At least, he thought, the thief hadn't stolen their gil! Only their materia. He was unused to being looked after like that by anyone.

Eventually Cloud found Yuffie. The brat brought them to a basement and stupidly enough, even though he had seen it coming a mile away! Yuffie got the blonde leader to pull a lever that closed a gate on them! Vincent mentally rebuked himself for not saying something sooner and sparing them another embarassingly lengthy chase. He had given too much credit to Cloud's intelligence it seemed. He had thought the Ex-Soldier would not have fallen for a 16 year old's mundane trap.

They eventually did free themselves!

The brat got herself in some trouble it seems as she had run away and bumped into the group's old enemy. Don Corneo . The party clued him in as to who the 'pervert' was. Apparently they had met him in Midgar and he was after revenge for tricking him into helping them. They fought a creature that used wind magic but were able to defeat it after learning a few things from their fight with Garuda, another flying type creature called Rapps that looked somewhat like a dragonfly. Cid proved invaluable in the battle to pin the creature down for their Corneo had involved a female member of the Turks and those they had encountered in the Turtle inn came to claim her with no incidents between AVALANCHE or them.

They chastised the kleptomaniac but got from her a larger story than they had expected in regards to her obsession with materia.

Vincent blinked.

He did remembered being young and making simple conclusions and associations like she had. The gunman sighed very faintly in the folds of his red cape. The young girl had assumed that by gaining as much materia as possible, Wutai's military would become strong enough to take on Shinra and liberate itself from the evil company's empire.

How naive... but understandable given her status as cultural royalty. She'd run away instead of assuming an 'old and dying' tradition as lead shinobi. Especially since she considered them cowardly not to do what she was.

"All right! Since none of you are man enough to stand against ShinRa with me! Then I'll fight all of you!"

She pointed her restored armguard accusingly at the 5 ruling Shinobi of Wutai. Strangely this little girl's unrealistic and exuberant attitude almost made the Gunman smile. He almost did! Restraining himself as best he could by hiding the small traces of it behind his cape. His cape was like a poker-players sunglasses or hat. A way to hide his intentions or thoughts and he used it whenever he didn't wish others to know his inner workings. In his line of work, information was priceless and so was knowing what made you tick.

He wished the best for the young girl Yuffie, even though he would have uncaringly batt her on the side of the head with his claw as a lesson a moment ago. He would never really harm a girl so young. The group could proceed with catching up to a world-destroying mad-man. They waited the rest of the day at the bottom of the pagoda for Yuffie to return victorious (or not) from her statement and pilgramage. They had witnessed her fight with Gorki and she made short work of him, so they didn't think it would take too long.

"Do... do you think she'll be able to face her own father?"

Aerith broke the silence in the waiting scratched his head, the blonde spikes jingled but remained pretty much as they were.

"I think it's part of becoming an adult... facing your parents for you own place and ideals in the world?" The swordsman ventured.

Hmm... the gunman thought about that. The blond sometimes had lapses of judgement yet at other moments he but brought good points. The sliding doors that lead to the stairs slid open and a disgruntled bruised Yuffie walked through looking incredibly tired but non-the-worse for wear. Everyone stood up, even RedXIII got from his lounging position, all of them with questions in their expression. She answer them by beamingly smiling, throwing a thumbs up and bringing a hand up with a red materia that wasn't part of their re-acquired collection.

"It's called Leviathan! Pretty neat eh! This'll help us TONS!"

She bounded right after them as if she had always belonged.

Vincent pondered on that, he didn't feel like he did... Wondering, what exactly would he do after he eliminated Hojo? Would they still have him? Would he still feel like he should contribute after he had avenged his hold love and himself of wrongs?

Those thoughts gnawed on him and he stayed silent the whole time they travelled to their previous planned destination: Gongaga.

o0o

**Author's notes:**

This was an incredibly long chapter for me to write and at some point I wanted to split it in two... but seeing as how I theme my chapters, they all fit into it.

This was also one of my more challenging ones to write. I had to conjure a very real scenario and bring it into reality in the mids of those reading as to how horrible the transformation was from the perspective of other Avalanche members.

I hope it was successful, please let me know of the results!


	5. The beast of yearning

**Chapter 5: The beast of yearning**

o0o

The key the group sought to enter the ancient ruins and temples of the Cetra had been sold to the owner of the gold saucer.

The day had closed fast to an end and a large storm had been forecast for the night. The group had to stay grounded, the Ropeway gondola's operators refused to have it functioning during a storm. They found some place to stay for the night. A small humble inn that had a roof porch. They shared rooms in 3s. Vincent, Cait Sith and RedXIII, Cloud and Cid with Barret and the women together. Presently, the gunman was out on the porch watching the approaching storm, rain far away in coming but clouds turning the heavens an ominous dark roiling purple and blue.

The Ex-Turk looked down at the rest of the town. Corel had seemed a small budding village the last time he had been operating under Shinra. These simple folk had been coal miners if her remembered correctly. Now... since the construction of a mako reactor in the vicinity. He'd heard the story from Barret. The people had fallen into a great depression and lost their spirit and way.

Another example of Shinra's mark on the world.

The smell of ozone permeated the air, carried on the wind and Vincent inhaled deeply. He saw a flash and soon afterwards heard the accompanying thunder. Deep within his chest 'it' pulsated. His left arm burned and itched horribly. It was the same feeling he'd had prior to turning into the Galian beast, this rythmic throbbing synchronized with his heart. The raven haired man knew things lurked within him, this one didn't feel the same as the furious beast. The ruby eyes observed it's surroundings.

The porch was very high up the structure of the house he was on, the inn itself was almost the tallest structure in the small town.

Feeling daring and melancholic tonight, the gunman jumped to a corner of the structure and watched the fast approaching storm. Like a cliff jumper or any thrill-seeker before performing their life threatening stunt he felt a large adrenaline rush. Vincent Valentine did not think overly much over. If it ended, it ended.

Something primordial within him drove him to the top of this structure relishing the static in the air.

Something called within him. It was not intelligent. No... It felt as if it was seeking...

Flash

Another arc of pure energy danced purple across the sky and Vincent felt a similar spark dance between his grafted arm and heart. Exhilaration, adrenaline, elation! A corner of his mind prayed the others where sleeping or busy and would not see the insanity that gripped him at this very moment. That they wouldn't be able to prevent whatever calamity he had put himself in real danger of. He was was numb with the static buzz he had started to hear, droning his senses just a few moments ago since that last flash. He simply bid himself stay immobile in this dangerous position.

His breathing deepened, his nostrils flared and he watched, crouched like a gargoyle, flashes coming more regularly and numerous in the sky. Cape billowing in the wind behind him like a living creature trying to escape a predator.

He cried internally, somewhere deep inside him. Knowing something was wrong. To enjoy this greatest show of powerful electricity. To invite it to strike him!There was something living in him that wanted this. That wished it with all it's might and he reached out for it with a golden hand. Reaching out towards the storm almost as if to beckon it closer.

"Live...wire..."

He couldn't believe it was his own voice! It sounded garbled and without passion. Death gigas... the name came to him almost instantly as a closer flash of lightning did. Electrifying the air solidly and deafening with it's thunderclap.

"Vincent! Get down from there!" He heard a women's concerned command from his left-hand side.

The buzzing was incessant in his ears but he was half a mind to move his head to look towards the direction the voice had come from.

Red tresses, woven, barely held by a pink ribbon, green eyes. Worried eyes. He stared at these. Nothing came to him. No name. The static buzz droned out the loud wind that her voice had almost been unable to pierce through. But he had heard her none the less.

She lifted a hand at him. He stared at the gentle hand.

His head slowly turned to look once more back at the storm, another lightning strike arced through the sky. Drops of rain had finally found it's way to him and pattered on his face. The thing within him smiled and he hated it for doing this. Fought with all his might for control over his body.

"Vincent!" She beckoned his attention once again.

He turned towards the women again. Did he? Or was it the creature? It was confusing. He wasn't sure anymore. He extended his clawed hand to her reach just as he had the lightning.

Gentle fingers latched onto wicked claws firmly and pulled steadilly. He came. Mechanically. Ungracefully, sliding down the roof's edge towards. Metal clasps of his boots making a horrendous screech doing so. She never let go his hand. He never broke eye contact with her either.

He didn't remember what he had seen in that expression. The DeathGigas had been him the moment he had beckoned the lightning to him. The creature seemed to relish in power but also in the beauty of natural things. The feeling of wind and static, colours. smells, sound. Need. Need. Need. Feeling

He returned to lucidity, seeing pale green eyes and he snapped away from her frightened and confused.

"Kyahh!"

Aerith pulled her hand back towards her body quickly sucking in a breath. Vincent Valentine had a moment of complete disorientation before seeing a flash occur extremely close by. Unthinking he grabbed the women bodily and quickly brought both of them inside, closing the veranda door.

Soft patters of rain was the only breaking in the odd silence between the two adults. Vincent still held her with both his hands on her shoulder, her back towards him. He slowly, yet hesitatingly let go of them. Noticing she cradled her hand in pain to drops of red drip down to the floor.

His fault.

"My... apologies."

He extricated himself from her, feeling awkward being so close to another. Especially a women. He paused for a moment then went towards the bathroom that was to the left of the veranda doors. She hadn't moved from where he'd left her but had turned slightly. No confusion marred her face, a gentle question graced her features however. One that he couldn't hope to avoid.

"I'm... not normal." Was the only thing he wished to offer.

He had brought back a bottle of disinfectant and gauze.

"I'm not sure if you've noticed Mr. Valentine... but none of us are." She replied.

He said nothing, in normal circumstances he'd have raise an eyebrow but he was nervous as he tended to this perspective women's hand. A hand he had cut rather deeply into now that he was observing the wounds clearly. She was right.

"Why did you come to the porch?" It almost sounded like an accusation, that she had been wrong to do so, seeking him in his rooms.

"I made dinner... I came to get you."

Vincent Valentine felt like the most horrid person in the world as he cleaned the soft porcelain fingers. Now that he thought clearly on it. Why was Aerith of all people letting him tend the fingers he himself had cut? She certainly had healing powers and restorative materia as well... Normally wouldn't someone injured refuse to be touched or tended by the injurer, let alone be near them? Shouldn't she be mad or scared of him after what he had displayed to her on two occasions now? Mindless rage and mindless need?

The gunman lifted his gaze, curious as to the Cetra's inner thinking

The ancient looked at him calmly. Her gaze speaking of gentle calm. As if looking at an injured animal and wishing it well, even though the creature could not understand that the other had good intentions. It irritated Vincent. It brushed him the wrong way somehow and he couldn't accept the graciousness of this women. The well meaning she meant towards him.

She knew nothing!

He finished and stood up abruptly. Her eyes widened minutely.

"Again. I apologize for cutting your hand. I will be down shortly."

He refused to acknowledge events instead and went back into the confines of his built walls taking a few steps ahead of her back to the porche's sliding window pane and watching from inside the storm passing over them now.

Aerith looked downcast for a moment, then a gentle smile returned to her despite her wounded hand. Wrapped very delicately with much care in snowy white cotton gauze, pinned delicately and snuggled together. Looking almost out of place for the severity of the wounds it held.

"Well, if your hungry at all. I'll keep some for you downstairs. Don't wait too long or it'll get cold."

She padded away and he didn't turn to see her leave the room. Hearing her footsteps patter down the stairs.

Vincent let out a shaky breath with an almost barely withheld sob.

o0o

Once up at the gold saucer, Cloud's Chocobo breeding investment prior to them finding the dark haired gunman apparently had payed off. They raced it and won the key from Dio, however it seemed almost as if the world didn't wish for them to proceed in saving it. The rope-way broke down again right as they wished to leave and they had to stay the night once more in the artificialcomforts of the Inn at the saucer.

The Ghost-inn made him uncomfortable. Some of the tourists actually had asked him questions about the place, thinking he was an employee. He was angry, not at them, but at himself, at Hojo, at Shinra. He just wanted to get this damn thing over with and... and then what? What would become of him once it was all over? He'd thought of this before but had been distracted.

Vincent Valentine brooded in the inn's lounge. He hated the rooms worse than he did the lobby and so sat in one of the couches on the side resting and thinking. It was here that he observed Cloud and Aerith in each other's company, smiling and talking with each other. The blond had a goofy grin and the flower girl seemed in good spirits as well. Vincent's brows furrowed.

Hmm... He had suspected the Ex-Soldier might have had a pre-established relationship with Tifa. The brunette seemed oddly... put off sometimes by the swordsman. His gut instincts told him that it wasn't a lover's spat. Neither was it from jealousy, the strong women had no grudges against Aerith. Cloud spoke to the martial artist without any discomfort or hidden intentions behind their words. As old friends did. So what was it that bothered Tifa so much?

Cautiously, Vincent followed the pair with his eyes. A trained assassin was very perceptive, in not only physical details but also psychology. Aerith liked Cloud. He had no illusions of his standings with the woman. She offered the kind of comfort she had given him the night before to anyone who needed it. She spent her time with the blond for other reasons than kindness. He just hoped their leader would not loose sight of their goals in the pursuit of her attentions. He had learnt the hard way that a women's heart could lead to much more pain and trouble than it was worth.

Vincent jumped from the couch and in one full movement and drew his gun and pointed it dead center at...

"Yuffie?" He lowered the quicksilver down from the middle of her forehead.

The 16 year old girl's eyes where shocked into orbits and her hands completely frozen in the same position she had had them before the gunman had sensed her. She held a piece of paper in her hand that , for all appearances, she had been about to leave it on his person.

He holstered his gun and tore the paper from her frozen hands and she collapsed to the ground finally breathing loudly.

"Never again! I'll never ever play dare with Barret after this!" She gasped, shaking in fright. Without another word she padded back around his seat and at a full-run tilt ran up the stairs.

Vincent blinked, watching her leave and then went to unfold the paper. It read:

- The white rose strikes again! -

"..."

Granted the kid had had both nerves and talents to get so close without him noticing. She had great potential.

o0o

Alright !%$ we Found the damn !#$$% lame #$! temple! Now what?

"Old man! I don't understand half of what you just said! Speak common!" Yuffie whined.

"Well %?& do I look like I care what you understand or not ?" Cid yelled.

Vincent pulled back the hammer of his gun.

-Click- Repeated the movement. -Click- Once again. -Clack-. He put the pistol back into it's holster. The gun was old and from experience he knew it would jam in a fight soon just by the sound it had started to make. He had hoped cleaning it was all that it required, but he'd done so back in Corel and it hadn't improved the spring lock and loading mechanism.

He needed a new gun.

Their blonde leader observed the semi-obscured Ziggurat through the ancient foliage and frowned, obviously out of his comfort zone. The ruins of the ancients would not be a very safe site to go through casually. The swordsman watched his group internally going through a check list of abilities and skills that he would need maneuvering through the stone maze he was sure to find inside.

RedXIII had successfully led them to the pyramid by scouting out a game trail that led to the site. The beasts' outdoor survival skills being the most developed they had followed Nanaki through the jungle. He had warned the group that the trail was used by Underlizards and that this region was known for an odd poisonous insect. They had fought a few of these without too much hassle and reached the temple.

Cosmo Canyon's guardian lifted a head up from the ground and pointed a large padded paw to disturbed earth and vegetation.

"There's signs of people passing through here. I'd say maybe... 3. Not very long ago."

Cloud bent down, a hand on his Runeblade keeping the blade's tip from digging into the ground. Staring at a man's bootprints in the soft earth. Nanaki snuffled slightly.

"I'd say it's in most probability Turks..."

The ex-SOLDIER stood back up and lifted mako-blue eyes to the group.

"Vincent, you'll be coming along with me, you know how to infiltrate and avoid traps if there are any. I'll need you to suggest the best paths and directions to take as well."

The gunman nodded silently. He would have performed the work subconsciously ahead of them regardless of being chosen unless asked to guard the others outside.

"Hey! What about me! I'm a Ninja for crying out loud!" Yuffie whined about not being picked to explore the curious ruins.

Cloud ignored her and looked through the rest of the group remembering whom carried which materia and asked a few to switch some with his.

"Aerith, since your an Ancient, I think it would be a good idea to bring you along. You might know and sense things we couldn't normally."

The flower girl nodded and collected her own things. Vincent looked down at his gun and weighed the dangers of continuing with an semi-unreliable weapon, subconsciously his hand glided over the holster and flicked open the clip and closed it a few times before he covered his calf with his cape and shrugged to himself.

No one noticed. He padded up the path and waited for the group's leader to come up with Aerith so they could start their search.

o0o

**Author's notes:**

This for me, feels a little bit like a filler chapter, however I wanted to place a little bit more solid ground between Aerith, Vincent and a few other characters to make them more personable. I absolutely love the challenge of keeping character in their roles. I hope I've had some modicum of success in keeping each character true to their own personalities as they acted within the game.


	6. Things of the earth

**Chapter 6: Things of the earth**

o0o

-Death-

Vincent's head snapped up at the imagined sound. A voice in his head? Great just what he needed! He peered over his shoulder slowly. Doubtful it came from anywhere but his skull and snapped it back forward, sensing another presence. A black clad man was in front of them. Cloud stared wearily at the figure, keeping his hand trained on his blade.

He had purchased a new sword to replace the Rune blade and had opted to switch it before going through the temple. It was called the Murasame. Forged in Wutai and purchased before they had left Yuffie's home country. This long fine tempered blade had a linked and single materia slot. Much better than the 4 single slotted blade Cloud had wielded before. He noted that the blonde had changed his materia selection accordingly to take advantage of this.

(Destruct)=(Added effect), (Odin)

The blonde was much more adept with materia than he had thought. With this combination, he was using the materia he had discovered in the Nibelheim mansion. His hits could break magical barriers, dispel beneficial effects on occasions and even perhaps cast a death curse. The Odin summon granted strong magical affinities and boosted the Ex-Soldier's magical aptitude, increasing the chances that these would trigger onto the Murasame as he wielded it.

Silently and slowly, Vincent eased his hands down to the his gun as the blonde stepped bravely towards the black figure. Asking what he was doing there, the figure laughed and mentioned something about the black materia. It made a gesture and disappeared, not giving them any chances to draw or attack.

"I really don't like this place Cloud... it feels like we shouldn't be here." The woman in their party said in a hushed tone.

Aerith grabbed her staff tightly, the knuckles going white. The swordsman knew the Cetra girl very well, she wasn't a person to be intimidated by dark places. They had seen their share of them and hadn't backed down from them, including the haunted Gi cave and Nibelheim mansion.

This he felt was ominously different The temple was an old place where the Cetra had once lived, worshipped and died protecting something herein. Those mystical people from centuries past where closer to the earth and spiritual than the people of today were and Cloud knew that what she felt wasn't pure imagination.

"There's an evil contained here." She continued in the same almost whispered tone. Looking towards the maze of stairwells ahead.

They both heard a sudden rustling of material and snapped their attention back to Vincent who made a shushing movement with his hand, indicating they should remain quiet. Stealthily, despite the metallic tips of the gunman's boots, the ex-Turk positioned himself gracefully to the left side of the entranceway of the altar. The movement of his cape that had first caught their attention had been the only sound that could have betrayed him in moving into position. His back to the wall, he crouched and eased the rest of his gun out of it's holster without so much as a rustling of the leather that nestled the weapon. The party's angle thankfully would not reveal their presence. The raven-haired man indicated to Cloud with his golden wicked claw:

-1 person, inside. Stay down.-

The blonde took hold of Aerith's shoulders and gently they crouched down watching Vincent. The ruby-eyed man positioned his golden talon as a shield around his face and in a single almost arcing movement, shifted his footing to stand on the other side of the entrance, using the arch as cover for half his body, the claw as a face guard peering through the talons and his gun pointed inside.

"..."

The ex-Turk said nothing but Cloud could tell through his own battle senses that the gunman had relaxed his posture. Knowing, as Vincent entered the altar, the coast was clear. There was very little light as Cloud and Aerith cautiously stepped up and entered the place, someone had opened the brasiers in the back only fairly recently. As their eyes adjusted they could make the figure of a man where Vincent was now crouched, assessing it's dangers.

"Tseng..." Avalanche's blonde leader said through clenched teeth.

He did a double-take though when he saw the pool of blood the man was laying in. Holding a sword wound at his chest. Vincent's golden claw searched the Turk's leader and the other man woozily fished in a pocket. The red-capped man's gun went straight to the other's head, pulling the hammer back in warning, but the Turk didn't draw any weapon. It was some sort of...

"The keystone!" Aerith leaped towards the Turk and the healer within her throbbed at the sorry state of the other man, she cast a curative spell and staunched the bleeding somewhat but he needed more medical attention.

"Sephiroth he... Place it on the alter! It opens the inner sanctum. He mustn't get the black materia!"

The uniformed man doubled over in pain and passed out. The flower girl's face contorted in sympathy. Even for their enemy. She reached out to help him further. Vincent's golden claw barred her from assisting.

"We don't have time!" He said firmly.

The woman opened her mouth, angry. A protest about to leaver her lips when Vincent's ruby-eyes caught hers. Stern. Do not argue, they said firmly in the ruby depths.

The last ancient chewed her lips weighing if she should speak her mind to the intimidating assassin. The Ex-Turk fished through Tseng's pockets drawing out a PHS. He looked at it momentarily, flipped it all the while continuing to sift through Tseng's belongings. He found short barrel gun. It had 2 double linked slots on both sides of the handle and a single set at the bottom. Much superior to his own Quicksilver duel and single.

"Vincent!"

The red gaze turned towards Cloud who had been looking through the area as well while Vincent was sifting through the Turk's belongings.

"I found a rifle. No slots, not loaded."

The blonde threw the thing to the gunman who caught it with ease in his metal hand while holding the PHS in the other. The metal on metal sounds resounded through the small enclosed space and they worked fast to cover the rest of the area for any furthur threats.

The red-headed woman was uncomfortable. Sometimes she forgot that these two had been in Shinra's military. They were professionals and went through these motions without remorse or guilt that there was a man that could be dying laying right there in the corner! Regardless of him being their foe, she wasn't one to begrudge helping a fellow human being. Vincent laying the riffle down turned his attention back to the PHS and looked from it to Tseng. For a moment hurriedly wrestling with something. The older man dialled, waited a moment and put the phone down next to him.

"Let's go."

With an exaggerated flourish of his cap as he stood, which served Vincent not to trip over the thing but that could be misconstrued as arrogance, the gunman set the keystone in the altar and a passage opened to the back of the ancient temple. Cloud beckoned the flower girl to hurry and she turned around momentarily towards Tseng again.

The young man was still slumped in his own blood, the PHS beeped and she heard a women's voice calling on the other line.

o0o

"This place is a maze!"

Cloud was stating the obvious tapping the hilt of his Murasame to his shoulder. The blade wasn't strapped at his back like his larger swords which he was accustomed to and was sheathed in an actual hilt to his side this time. Vincent scanned the area, creating a mental map in his head as he added materia to the extra slots of his new weapon. He would use the Short-barrel and keep the Silver riffle if ever the heisted weapon failed. Aerith had handed him their materia supply bag and he went through it withdrawing an additional support orb. 'Sneak attack.'

(Haste)=(Sneak Attack) , (Bio)=(Added effect), (Sense)

His own materia combination remained the same. It had always been his preferred selection as a Turk and it served him and others well in battle.

"Generally speaking, always keep to a right or a left through a maze and you will get through. However I believe I've scouted the direct path."

The blue eyed leader lifted an unbelieving eyebrow to the older man scoffing. Ignoring him, the gunman padded in front of them assuming leadership. Cold and detached in his attitude as always he projected an almost aggressive aura towards Cloud. In most probability angry that the swordsman didn't believe in his scouting capabilities, especially since this was his former line of work.

The blonde frowned, displeased by the odd subtle psychological domination game that was being played out. Aerith sighed and shivered which lightened the situation somewhat, detracting the males. Both men forgetting their Alpha power struggle , ready to continue through the ruins.

The party had a mind-boggling set of puzzles to overcome in the temple. Whatever had been sealed here was well protected. They had met an odd figure, clad in ancient garb that ran away before they could catch it. They faced a few creatures odd toxic toads, multiple eyed gelatinous creatures that had managed to poison Cloud since he fought with them in melee. Aerith had used a remedy to cure the swordsman of it. She reminded them both to be careful. They only had a few more status affect antidotes left to them in their arsenal.

They finally arrived at the end altar, finding Sephiroth had been there before them. The madman went on a veritable monologue, revealing his insane plan to become a god of the world. Surprising Vincent, the usually level-headed blond leader loosed his mind for a moment, trying to swipe at the silver-haired swordsman. The legendary soldier laughed and easily sidesteps the swipe with supernatural grace. Dashing into the shadow he disappeared. As Cloud prepared to chase him, Vincent grabbed the younger man's Murasame by the hilt with his left claw hand. Sternly bidding the blue-eyed man to stop.

"He's gone."

Cloud pulled his blade away from the caped man, most probably bruising it from the wicked claw and sheathed it, frustrated, ignoring the pain. Aerith drew their attention back at the problem. What were they going to do to stop Sephiroth?

-Ssssssssssss-

Vincent didn't even time to actually below a proper warning as he sensed an creature entering the room. The others turned towards where he was staring.

"Brrrrrrrrrraaaarrr grrrrrr" Like the odd rumbling of a lion, a creature stood hidden in the shadows at the back where Sephiroth had disappeared. Had the black-caped man summoned the creature or lured it towards them?

Eerie glowing eyes the same color as Vincent's peered at them. The thing moved. It was immense. The light coming from the lit braziers of the ancient temple illuminated the party's form but kept the creature hidden in the shadows.

"What the hell is that?" Cloud managed to garble managing to put a bruised hand to the hilt of his sword.

"..."

Vincent was the closest to the creature. He could see it very well in the shadows with his enhanced vision. Cat like ruby red eyes focusing on the details of it. He continued to stare straight at it's eyes, glaring. Predator vs it's prey. Both attempting to intimidate the other with a returned predator's glare to cause the other to backdown or freeze. Unfortunately the monster was too hungry to care and stepped out of hiding.

A large red scaled clawed paw the size of a grown man, stomped the ground out of the shadows, illuminated by the flames on the walls. The lizard-like appendage disturbed the dust around it, a long equally red tail drew across in a large arc on the floor through the same dust, illuminated briefly by the flamelight then disappearing once again into the shadows. The bulk of the creature settled on the extended clawed paw and it drew itself forward, large horns curving upon a powerful jawed head and bloodshot eyes still fixated on Vincent. Peeling itself from the shadows as if emerging from a pond of darkness.

"Shit..." Aerith cursed, completely out of her character but at the spur of the moment no one had noticed.

It was a very large, obviously ancient red dragon. Who knew how long it had remained here? Sleeping and feeding on rodents, the other creatures in the temple and any miss-fortunate souls who had lost their ways in the ancient ziggurat? It's misshaped and useless wings indicating it was grounded and could no longer fly.

Vincent knew the exact moment the creature was going to engage them when it blinked and seemed to lean it's weight on it's left foreleg. He drew his gun and cast Haste lightning fast with his pre-emtpive sneak attack materia giving him the advantage. The Ex-Turk ducked and rolled away from the incoming claw swipe meant to cleave his head right off his shoulders.

Cloud drew the Murasame and charged the creature's exposed right side. Managing to create a large gash in the creature. It's thick hide had protected it from a deeper wound than what the blonde was capable of dealing. Affected but the quickening effects of his materia, Vincent got a shot out as well. The creature started foaming slightly from the mouth soon afterwards, a sure sign that his added Bio effect had poisoned it. The dragon, stupid as it was couldn't associate the range attack to Vincent and so went after the blonde who was a much reachable target in melee.

The former SOLDIER having put a large amount of force through his swing was recuperating and bringing himself back through the movement when the drake picked itself up with more grace than it should have normally seem to possess. It drew it's whole tail up and then back down at the horrified swordsman who didn't have time to sidestep. Cloud almost seemed to bounce off the stone floor, the air knocked completely out of him and his sword clanging on the ground from numb hands. Aerith, who had drawn to the side of the fight as was her usual task at support, yelled out his name and ran towards the fallen blonde.

Vincent's teeth clenched. Stupid girl!

The creature completing it's turn and now witnessing it's successful maneuver, watched happily as a weaker looking being came to the aid of the other. The Ex-Turk chewed through his mind for a possible way to save both of them. He had plenty of adrenaline flowing from their previous battles leading up to this one and Sephiroth's encounter had rilled him as well. He had cast 'sense', estimating he had time haste for one more action before the creature would seriously harm the Cetra and swordsman.

It was impossible for him to transform into the Galian! The creature absorbed fire and he would only heal it subconsciously while in the feral throws of the Lupine behemoth.

"Gnn..." Vincent teeth clenched tightly and an odd noise and he watched, his heart pounding as the creature slouched unhurriedly towards the two. Having forgotten about his presence entirely. No! Not the Galian! He mentally prayed.

His head pounded and he punched the ground with his right hand, hearing the knuckles crack. Willing the bloodthirsty Galian back in the resess of his mind. It didn't detract him from the spark that he felt flow from his gauntlet to his chest. He was breathing heavily and knew a transformation was imminant. The gunman picked himself up with tremendous effort and ran full tilt at the large creature.

At some point he lost consciousness mid-run.

o0o

**Author's notes:**

An important part of my fic is integrating items used in the game that are familiar and well-placed without just appearing out of thin air.

I always thought that treasure chests might lbe ess literal and more metaphorical to normal items found in the actual room while playing the game. For example: You find a corpse of a person laying around and a treasure chest is next to it. The chest represents the items found on the corpse and not just an actual literal treasure chest. It made it easier for players not to miss items and have to click everything.

I wanted to integrate it in writing, making sure to be accurate with events.


	7. Taking the good with the bad

**Chapter 7: Taking the good with the bad**

o0o

Cloud felt like he had been pounded into the ground.

Wait... He had been!

Damn that tail had hit him hard! He was still seeing stars! Groaning, the swordsman tried to sit back up and felt hands he knew belonged to Aerith on him. However he wasn't paying much attention to anything else except a gigantic red dragon was padding to them like a gleeful cat, just a few feet away.

"Aerith! Get away!"

They wouldn't have time! Cloud's feet weren't working properly. He just managed to get a shaky foot underneath him, the flower girl trying to help him get up when they heard something run to his right.

Vincent, hunched over and without any of his grace whatsoever was charging the goddamn dragon!

What in the name of IFRIT was that man thinking!

The metal of the ex-Turks boots thumped loudly on the ground as each step seemed heavier and heavier and became louder and louder. The cape-clad silhouette taking on bulk. It almost looked like the man was moving like a drunkard before barrelling solidly into the red dragon's side.

Connecting

As what had once been Vincent came into contact with the large flying lizard, blinding light arched outwards from the impact, sparks of electricity travelling and crawling over the creature's leathery hide and it cried out in surprised pain. Impressively enough, for such a frail looking man, the creature limped to it's right almost as if the impact had been massive! It crawled in that same direction and both Aerith and Cloud could see where the ex-Turk stood, sluggishly doubled over but feet planted firmly to the floor as if glued there. His posture odd, different. Almost squared and solid instead of the usual lithe, graceful and aloof way Vincent stood or moved usually.

The odd electrical burst that had come from no materia that they remembered seeing him equip. Static still danced around the gunman's feet. Vincent's doubled form lifted and his upper body flipped backwards, as if his back was broken. Mouth open in an odd 'O', eyes vacant and wide, skin tinted a sickly yellowish green instead of his usual fair complexion. It seemed like he had bloated or acquired mass somehow.

Without further ado, Cloud stood back up and Aerith cast a cure on the ex-Soldier who picked his fallen Murasame and repositioned himself back up into a sword-ready stance. He eyed the new transformed Vincent warily. The Galian beast (as Vincent had called it), was incredibly feral and dangerous and could turn on them. What the hell was this new being going to do?

The dragon turned towards the creature that had caused it pain and swiped at what had been previously Vincent Valentine but was now the mindless and reactive Gigas. The drake hit with a solid blow to the new thing's chest but instead of the expected flight towards the wall, the brutish looking thing stood planted to the ground as if it was stuck to it magnetically, electricity still arching underneath it's feet.

The dragon coughed from the poison still affecting it's system, foam spraying over the Gigas. A good glob of it straight into the creature's face. Vincent's new form didn't even blink as the stuff ran down, it's vacant eyes and opened mouthed expression stupid and unthinking, the Gigas turned it's body around almost in a coil to throw a ball... and threw an arc of lightning instead directly towards where the liquid had originated.

Cloud took this moment's distraction to charge ,skewer and then jump up slashing downwards using his reserved 'Climhazzard' limit break technique, sensing the creature weakened greatly from the poison and whatever Vincent had attacked it with. The dragon, wild eyed drew a breath and Aerith awaited the impending flame. They all weathered the burning inferno as best they could, twisting to the ground to extinguish the flames, except Vincent who's form had positively caught on fire.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahn!" It was the first thing they had heard the Gigas make as a sound.

A pitiful painful unintelligent complaint of pain. Slumping back forward the electricity generating body collected itself for another charge. The Cetra girl cast her Cure=all materia spell, healing Cloud's bruises and all of their burns including Vincent's... or whatever it was.

The red dragon, panicking, reared and tried to claw at Vincent unsuccessfully. The large bulk of the Gigas slammed into the overgrown lizard in a finishing blow. All of it's wounds veritably pissing blood with it's last death throws. A large punch delivered squarely near it's heart caused it to defibrillate and fall dead

"Nnnnnnnaaaaaaa NNNrrrrr!"

The Gigas slave turned on itself, fire having caught at the edges of Vincent's cape that it was still wearing. Too simple to understand what to do, the transformation turned on itself stupidly. Attacking the flames, flailing it's hands, trying to hit it as if the fire was another creature it could use it's strength against.

Cloud waved it's hands up towards the thing, trying to get it's attention and calm it down. His attempt was unsuccessful. Knowing if they didn't get the cape off or at least smother it's edge it would probably burn what had once been Vincent. The blonde shook his head frustratingly and was going to use drastic measure and try to tackle the thing but Aerith set a gentle hand on his left arm. The soft green eyes of the Cetra caught the Mako-enhanced aqua blue.

"Alright... I'll leave it to you... Be careful." Cloud drew to the side.

Aerith put her hands together in a prayer and with a deep breath. Her mind going blank. Calling upon the earth and lifestream. The whole room hushed and the torches on the walls almost seemed to dim. The gigas stopped flailing and stared with those white vacant eyes at the Cetra, fire forgotten.

"Breath of earth." She steadily exhaled and bands of light seemed to dance upon each person in the room, including the Gigas. This was a new limit-break she had sensed entering the ancient place of worship. The fire extinguished itself out.

"Gmmmmah!"

The Gigas seemed to relax, slumping but remaining standing, crooked. It's gaze fixed Aerith with white orbs that now seemed to have some form of limited intelligence in them, almost like a child. The thing stepped awkwardly like a toddler towards the young woman haltingly and unsure of it's footing, uncoordinated. The swordsman, ready to protect her, moved to bar it's way.

"No Cloud... let him come."

"But...'it'..."

"Trust me."

He did.

Gigas stepped, Left, right, L...left...R...right. The closer it came the more aware 'He' became. Yes! Sanctuary! From the loneliness! From the terrible empty void! He drew his heavy arms up towards the flower girl and she did not flee! Please! Need! Comfort! Cannot speak! The gigas limped on closer.

Slowly Vincent bulky green form shrank and melted back into that of his original form as his arms embraced that of the Cetra. As he regained his human form, the physical tears the Gigas had wanted to shed but being too psychologically damaged that it couldn't, fell from his own eyes. Almost all of the strength left his legs and the woman held him, struggling to keep his weight up but doing so none-the-less. The gunman took deep steadying breaths, the smell of earth and clean air that she smelled of calming him further from the fact that he had become... a thing... once again.

"Cloud? He's ok. Please take him, he's sort of heavy."

The swordsman quickly reached for raven haired man and they lowered him slowly to the ground to collect himself.

"I'm... I'm alright. Just... give me a moment."

It felt awkward having people baby him. He was a grown man! Vincent's pride suffered a blow once more and he perhaps pushed them away a bit rudely. Though... thankfully they humoured him without complaining after he had had another of his odd transformations. While he collected himself Cloud went to inspect the dragon's corpse and found an anklet around one of it's horns that seemed to have odd properties. They could probably wear it as a bangle.

"Cloud?"

The swordsman was in the process of cleaning his blade on the creatures rough leather hide but he turned to Aerith with an all ears look.

"There's something evil up ahead. Another monster of some kind... I don't know what it is but we should get ready for another fight."

The blonde looked down at Vincent. The ex-Turk noticed the look of doubt on Avalanche's leader's face and stoop up straight, keeping the last vestiges of shock from his transformation hidden and feeling more and more stable as time went by. Whatever Aerith had cast was still in effect and was centering him.

"I am well enough." He picked up the short barrel he'd dropped as he had transformed, his back to both of them and tread onwards in front of them.

The Ex-Turk a long ways ahead of them Cloud whispered to Aerith.

"I think he might be dangerous to have around... maybe we should get rid of him from the party once we get out of the temple?"

Aerith turned to the blue-eyed man and gave him a seething glare. She didn't say a word. The look that she gave him told him all he needed: -How dare you say such a horrible thing! He's a victim, not a danger!- She simply huffed and went to follow Vincent.

Cloud scratched his head. Shiva! Sometimes he wondered how he could tell and know everything that woman wanted to say without her uttering a word!

Unbeknownst to the blonde swordsman, Vincent had overheard everything.

o0o

After fighting an ancient safeguard of the temple called the Demon gate, the whole structure became unstable. Cait Sith ran up to meet them and informed them that the temple itself was the Black materia and that he must perform one last act to create it in order to keep it safe from Sephiroth. The odd toy sacrificed itself to perform the ceremony and the whole zigurrat collapses on itself. In the center of the ominous crater was, as promised, an onyx black materia. The thing was evil, anyone with an affinity for materia magic could feel it! Even Yuffie stayed away from the orb, whereas she would sensibly be the first to have tried to make a dive for it.

The brave blonde as leader picked the object, rolling it in his fingers.

Avalanche, confused and mourning the destruction of Cait Sith didn't notice the black caped man at the other edge of the immense crater, Cloud's back to him, until their leader's mako-blue eyes bulged, glaze over and the swordsman turns towards him. Somehow sensing the other swordsman's presence.

To their utter horror, Cloud climbed the side of the collapsed crator zone and handed the insane man the black materia. Sephiroth laughed in his rich deep baritone, sending shivers down everyone's spine, all to the exception of Vincent who glared pure daggers at both the silver haired man and their blonde leader who has betrayed them!

The legendary swordman's mako blue eyes, cat-like in focused concentration snaped away from the blonde to focus on him. To Vincent's both mixed relief and concern the blonde's back arches and he collapses suddenly face-first into the dirt. The black leather clad blade wielder gazed up at them all and briefly his gaze settles on his own ruby-red eyes. Blood red connected to sea green and their gaze froze them briefly in their own world. Sephiroth's features were familiar... The insane swordsman gaze shifts in momentary confusion as well, recognition somehow in the aqua-green eyes then it settlied back into predatory impassiveness. Shinra's wild experiment jumped gracefully backwards an impossible height and distance, disappearing quickly from his own marksman eyesight.

Tifa launches herself hurriedly towards Cloud concerned. Interestingly enough, the woman whom Vincent had thought had stronger feelings for the blonde was twisting her hands together and looking down to the ground. Aerith looked tremendously troubled.

"What a &#(* $&** &#! day!"

"You can say that again ol'man!" Yuffie nodded, wholeheartedly agreeing.

o0o

They had reached Gongaga safely but the party had suffered a veritable moral blow. What had happened? It all seemed surreal. Their own leader had given their insane enemy the most powerful weapon on earth! Everyone had questions but it seemed as if they would have to wait for their blonde figurehead to awaken from the odd coma he had fallen in.

They had rented a small cottage far from other dwellings and Vincent was leaning on the outside wall of the building, thinking.

Perhaps he was too dangerous? His own body was an enigma to himself. He did remember... 3 separate entities from his time as an experiment. Facets of his broken personality that had been encased in individual summon materia. He had been a different man before Hojo's torturous tests.

Though none of them he seperatly remembered. Just that... he became something else while under different types of duress. They were destructive, that was a certainty but the last times he had transformations were in laboratory controled conditions and he wouldn't of minded killing the scientists testing him, namely Hojo. He had blocked or erased most of them from his memory but relived them in his nightmares.

He'd always been a loner, perhaps he should strike out on his own this time? Truly he was grateful for the group waking him and giving him this new drive and purpose, for sticking around him all this time and making him feel... human somewhat.

It was late in the evening now. After a while of brooding Vincent collected himself to leave. As he did however Aerith exited the cottage.

"...?"

The ruby-eye man watched the girl adjust a backpack strap. Slowly she became aware of him as well. He leaned back onto the wall, relaxing yet still keeping his guard up. It was odd for any of the group's member to be awake at this hour except for himself. He had always had trouble sleeping, for good reasons.

"I'm leaving." Was her only statement when she realized who the tall figure next to the door frame was.

Vincent lowered his mouth into his collar, an eyebrow rose in confusion and perhaps a hint of surprise. Interested. His crimson eyes catching glints of moonlight. More expressive to her than they where when the other members were around. He had obviously thinking of doing the same and she had caught him.

"You should stay Vincent." She added.

Slowly the gunman crossed his arms, how had she known of his intentions? Why now, exactly at the moment of his pivotal decision?

"For what purpose should I stay miss Gainsborough?"

The girl turned to face him, the moonlight giving her a ghostly pallor because of her own already fair complexion. Her eyes didn't need the moon to glow softly, especially with his own enhanced night vision. She seemed... ethereal. Almost as a spectre addressing him in the night.

The Ex-Turk wondered what she saw in him that made her so comfortable addressing him? Everyone else in their group except perhaps RedXIII and Yuffie had some sort of reticence speaking openly with him. He had this aloofness and guardedness that discouraged others to do so. Which he maintained diligently.

"He needs you, more than he needs me. Cloud that is... You and him, you're very much alike. Sharing the same pain and parts of the same past. There's solace to be found in misery." She said calmly and each word was chosen carefully.

"There will be a day and a time where you will be able to get him out of trouble... and he will do the same for you. It won't be now, maybe in the future but... Vincent do you trust me?" She seemed to want to change the subject at the end of her discourse

Did he? This young women, half his age to be sure, but a hundred times wiser. Had his deep intrinsic trust. She'd reached out when others hadn't and perhaps rekindled something of a sliver of a heart after it had been destroyed some odd 20 years ago by madman

"Yes.. Yes I do Aerith."

"Will you do something for me then?"

The gunman stood up from his leaning on the wall. Perhaps it was his old fashion personality peeking out from when he'd been younger... but he put his left hand to his heart and bowed slightly as a response.

"Stay... and keep him out of trouble for me?"

"I... I will miss Gainsborough."

She walked closer to him, Vincent felt uncomfortable with her this close. Her eyes locked on his, her intentions unreadable even when he had been trained all his life to read them on people.

"You're a good man Vincent, you try to pretend you aren't. But I see through you."

Small as she was compared to him, she tip-toed and planted a chase yet affectionate kiss to his right cheek.

He stayed very still, breath catching. She smiled that genuine smile or hers with no additional inner motives. He watched her turn around and leave as if caught by an odd spell. Through the wooden jungle of Gongaga, following a path she moved as a ghost, her silhouette faint and shimmering in the moonlight and eventually disappeared.

Vincent Valentine slowly pulled a gloved hand and touched his cheek.

He mouthed; -'Thank you'-

He entered the cottage and went to sleep, no nightmares plagued him that night.

o0o

**Author's notes:**

I particularly liked writing this chapter because of it's very gentle culminating connection between Aerith and Vincent. This was never meant to be a romantic fic between them, simply the way Aerith kindled something in our beloved Ex-Turk's heart that will spark a little later on in this series. Suffice it to say that both of them became friends somewhere with respect and empathy playing in between them.

**Next chapter-notes:**

Everyone who's played the game can feel the tension building up to it's inevitable end in regards to Aerith.

This time Vincent and Cloud will kindle somewhat and this sets as a base for the events of Advent Children as well as futur events in my fic (game events perceived through Vincent's PoV).


	8. The insane subjects

_**Chapter 8: The insane subjects**_

o0o

Cloud had had dreams, more like visions actually. He was speaking out loud, still asleep and woke up in the strangest of circumstances surrounded by his concerned colleagues and friends.

Everyone was still confused as to why Cloud would have handed the black materia to Sephiroth. The swordsman was convinced from his visions though that they pointed to the Northern continent. There was no faking his magnanimity, charisma and dedication to find Aerith, whom Vincent had accepted the Ex-Soldier was fully and madly in love with.

"Let's get to the tiny-bronco then." Vincent stated after the blond said she was at the Northern crater without any kind of proof.

Everyone sort of...stared at him. Well, truthfully he didn't speak his mind or say things that weren't necessary and this was wholeheartedly out of character for him. He wasn't sure what the ancient flower girl had meant by taking care of Cloud, or watching him. He was awkward at this sort of thing. Unless it was as a detached body-guard. He'd failed at that last task.

As they glided over the shallows of the ocean, Vincent decided he would do what he was best at and simply remain a body-guard. Aerith must have known that he was not... emotionally equipped to offer the sort of support she could to the blonde. It was something that Tifa could offer better than he. However, regardless of if Cloud thought he was too dangerous for the group or not, he would watch them from a distance if ever it came to that.

The ancient forest in the northern continent had the strangest of vibes, it was oddly familiar. He was able to place it. It was the same sort of feeling he had before Aerith had left. The moonlight night in Gongaga.

He followed the group through their search of a lunar harp that could dispel the illusions surrounding the forest.

"Wait! What's that?"

Vincent pointed to an odd sparkle glinting in the forest. Everyone halted, concerned that the Ex-Turk had spotted an impending attack. They followed his clawed outstretch hand towards movement in between the old forest's trees and branches.

"It looks like... Materia?" Yuffie jumped from a crouched defencive position to one of excitement.

"It's moving... oddly." Cloud observed.

True. The red glint disappeared and weaved, almost like it was floating in the distance.

"I'll get it!"

Yuffie bounced unaware or uncaring of dangers and simply charged for it. After about a few minutes of watching the young girl bounce around as if catching bugs, she finally caught it.

"Wow... I think it's a summon!"

Vincent cast a sense on it.

"It's a quad-element." the gunman stated.

Yuffie was about to pocket it when Cloud snatched it from her and with a level stare put it in their communal bag of materia. Yuffie sulked the rest of the way to the ancient capitol.

o0o

Vincent sensed it. Whether everyone else did or if it was something innate to his freakish body he didn't know. Something was about to happen here. For good and also for the purpose of evil. They found an odd house that was remarkably well preserved in the ancient city. Previously occupied by the ancient Cetra hundreds of years ago. The day had been a long one and everyone was unanimous for sleep, except of course the ever watchful vampiric ex-Turk.

He watched them, one by one fall asleep and observed the blonde quietly. Thankful for his Turk training, granting him incredible stealth. No one, not even RedXIII was the wiser for his observations of them this night.

Horrible lack of privacy, he knew. But a necessity for the gunman's peace of mind.

Cloud was dreaming. Quite vividly actually. The aqua blue eyes underneath the lids moving rapidly.

-Death. You will fight the usurper here.-

Vincent shook his head softly, that voice again? He heard a whimper, it was Cloud. The gunman blinked.

-Come to me my children... come... protect that which is ours.-

The Ex-Turk cringed. The voice, It was getting louder and more regular. It had a feminine tinge to it. He'd heard it before! At the Ancient's city. He could also tell the direction the voice was coming from. His arm hurt. Vincent briefly opened the small hatch to his mechanical arm. The Turk blinked when he saw 2 red summon orbs were glowing, were once there had been only one... could it possibly be that whatever other transformation had awakened was now this 2nd materia orb? If so, there was still one last left and a permanently damaged one.

"Yes...I'll come to you." Cloud was speaking in his sleep now?

Vincent thought he'd seen enough.

Gently he extricated himself from the shadow and waited outside. There was something... in Cloud and his own head that they shared. The same eerie voice. What was happening? From what he'd known of the blonde he was an ex-Soldier. If there had been something important enough to link the two of them together. Surely the team would have informed him.

They shared voiced in their heads! What else did the blonde have in common with him? Aerith perhaps knew more. She'd mentioned something... about them being more alike than he knew?

-She is here!-

The blonde woke up with a start and Vincent quickly slid his arm's band back into place. The raven haired was leaning against a support pillar in the shadows and would seem passing the time like he always did. Cloud's facial expression was that of surprise and bewilderment, his right hand in his unruly hair.

"Aerith?"

Without regards to how he had gotten this information, their blond leader woke the others and informed them he knew of Aerith's wearabouts.

Miss Lockhart had that same troubled expression that the gunman had seen her sport on occasion when observing Cloud. Worry perhaps? The mysterious problem was much deeper than what he could deduce without questioning the girl. Vincent extricated from his position.

"I'm going with you."

Strife's locks bounced as he quickly swivelled his head to stare at him. It wasn't regularly that he voiced an opinion. He didn't make requests, nor ever phrased or entoned it as one. He was going.

"In that case, I'm also comming along." Tifa cut in abruptly. The tone of her voice as inflexible as his own.

The other members of AVALANCHE were still rubbing the sleep from their eyes and after doing a slight status count Cloud sighed and resolved himself to be accompanied by members not of his own choosing. Leadership of their band was not based on dictatorship but of their own faith in his abilities as a former SOLDIER operative, a commander of other military forces, that he knew how to proceed better than the rest of them.

"Fine then, I'm leaving right now though."

The sense of urgency that energised Cloud's pace was worisome. So too was Vincent's sensation of something crawling underneath his skin. Akin to dread even. The former Turk had the impression of voices quarrelling in his head, though they seemed particularly far... or perhaps it was his imagination or a particularly vivid memory surfacing.

They travelled into the lower areas of a large magnifiscent structure made of glass and stones, the which Vincent had never seen before. The eerie light of the trees in the forgotten city somehow magnified here and the steady sound of flowing water as well as the smell of humidity hung in the air.

There she was.

The flower girl was on a platform, praying. Vincent froze in his steps as Cloud nimbly jumped on the stone strataformes negating the distance between himself and the girl. That last step ungraceful and Cloud's eyes widened, though the raven haired man was not witness to this.

His head hurt.

-URSURPER URSURPER! Death to the Cetra. She bars the way to the creation of our kingdom!-

-Hehe haha! Shut up, dark harbringer! Or I'll silence you myself! Kyaaaaaaah aha aha!-

Two voices quarrelled in Vincent's head. One he recognized as that of a woman's. The other was that of a crazed man's but not of his own internal voice. One seemed ominously evil, the other unstable and volatile.

"Gahh..."

He lifted a pained crimson eye to see Cloud struggling with himself, standing in front of Aerith. Seemingly unable to move as much as he.

-Lift, thy hand and raise thy weapon!-

He heard Tifa's intake of breath as well as her presence by his side. His right arm reached for his gun yet lightning quick his golden left appendage sliced the air without his consent and stabbed into the leather and flesh of his. The pain snapped him out of his stupor long enough for him to notice the blond swodsman lift his own weapon over his head.

-You will not! Hyehaha! We are the custodians here! There is no place for you Jenova!-

"CLOUD!" Tifa yelled.

Vincent's left arm burned again. The loudest voice, the male one, kept cackling and taunting the other. Cursing and it's voice was so distracting that it pried Jenova's hold on his body. He was absolutely certain that this same entity Jenova now commanded Cloud. Without the help of other personalities inhabiting his body Vincent doubted the mako enhanced man could control his own body. Torn in indecision, voices buzzing in his head, confusion pouring into the moment he cried out.

"... Cloud!" He snapped in a tense commanding tone, right after Tifa.

The Ex-Soldier hesitated and for agonizing moments both the female martial artist and Vincent dreaded the worse. The Buster sword dropped heavily on the floor. Clanging loudly and the sword's wielder exhaled loud enough for Tifa and the gunman to hear it from were they were standing in shock.

Aerith's gaze lifted. Her natural seagreen eyes gaze captured the artificial mako blue. A moment passed between the two, they were alone in their own world.

Then a black shadow descended.

o0o

-FOOL-

Jenova screached in his head and the tall gunman found that he couldn't move, couldn't even muster the coordination it took for him to reach for his gun, aim and save the young Cetra from certain doom. The blade descended, deadly and accurate, piercing her very core. He watched. They all watched, as the silver haired madman they had chased halfway around the world killed her.

Aerith was no more as soon as the blade was pulled free.

That was unlesss either Tifa or him could get to her within the next 5 minutes. They had the Phoenix downs. As the monstrosity of a man leered and taunted Cloud. Vincent noticed his feral blue eyes briefly glancing in their direction. It was certain that he knew and would prevent them from using the remedy on her.

Meanwhile, his head was splitting in two. His own madman was cackling insanely in his head and it wasn't his own internal voice, but it was surplanting it. And fast!

"Vincent!" Tifa whispered cautious of the situation, not knowing nearly enough about the red cloaked gunner to stave off a potential transformation.

"Because Cloud... you are... a puppet!"

-Puppet! Puppet! Puppet!-

Sephiroth launched into the air, almost flew if anyone could achieve such a feat it would have been him. Leaving behing an odd shaped appendage that seemed to flow and grow like a fungus, it soon overran the platform along with Aerith on it. Cloud picked his sword from the floor and backed up, stuggling not to reach for Aerith as well as she disappeared beneath the mass of organics that was rising and taking form.

"Vincent we've got to help him against that thing!"

Tifa bravely grabbed the Ex-Turk's shoulder and focused him somewhat against the flow of voices in his head. He briefly closed his eyes trying in vain to focus but nodded and found he had control of his limbs. Both he and the martial artist lept and bounded on the steps in the water, shortening the distance between themselves, Cloud and the Jenova creature that was finally taking solid form.

The creature itself was nothing short of a nightmare, all tentacles, eyes, and slithering oozing salivas from mouths that defied physics in their location. It first struck at Cloud who, besides his apparent shock from Aerith's death, did not loose any of his fighter instincts. Vincent was however, incredibly distracted, he kept hearing a keening high pitched noise in his head and his nerves and anger boiling over, his armed throbbed and he felt both the Galian and Gigas simmering just underneath his skin, both wanting to rip this being to shred but a 3rd was holding them back.

His face burnt.

"Gaaaah!"

Jenova was not just a physical monster, one of it's eyes focused on the gunman which it had sensed was not paying attention. The burning light blasted right in his face, burning the skin down nearly to the bone.

"VINCENT!" Both Tifa and Cloud yelled in concern, but they both fended off their own Jenova limb as he fell to one knee, his claw holding shreds of his visage.

His shoulders moved... up and down... a sound escaped it, undefined... then clearer.

Vincent was chuckling!

"He he he... he he he.. Hi hi hi...Hahahahah! GYAHAHA!"

The whole room seemed to stand still. Even Jenova, in the midst of battle as it was, seemed to pause after striking Cloud's sword. The Ex-Turks lacerated face lifted, his eyes opened wide to the limits of their orbits and his face stretched as he produced a leering widened bloody smile across half-abscent lips you could see bone through. Pieces of skin fell and dangled, some eerily re-attaching itself at overwhelming speeds until the insane laughter was chocked by the mouth itself being covered by fresh gleaming white skin. Only the eyes showed underneath this mask of white, wide and frantic. Halfway between the look of laughter and the expression of chocking. The horrible sound of metal on metal resounded. It was the metal claw, who's fingers sliced against each other epileptic-like. The elongated digits striking each other rapidly, producing sparks. The blond Ex-Soldier and martial artist knew that this was another of his transformation, this one was the most nightmarish one of all in both their opinions. It almost seemed like Vincent himself had lost grips with sanity with the beings loose inside him. Jenova did not let them too much time to ponder the question and they watched this new manifestation of the gunman wearily as they thought.

-Puppet!-

Hellmasker.

That was what this being that he had become was called. Vincent could only watch through his own eyes as his body moved of it's own accord. There had been a blinding pain to his face... then nothing and he had been thrown back into the recesses of his own mind as a witness as the overwhelming voice that had been keening and wailing in his head took over.

What had once been the Gunman rose.

**o0o**

* * *

**Author's Notes: Oct/23/2011  
**

**I haven't been working on this story for so long, I need to re-read it and correct everything before I update with a new chapter. I hope you can bear with it! It will be up sometimes in October hopefully. In the mean-time read my other fics: The hundred year step(Soul eater) or Learning to meet halfway(FFVII).**


	9. We made our promises

**Chapter 9: We made our promises**

**o0o**

"Heeeee GYAAAAAAA!"

The metal claw's digits sliced spastically to the point that they had become an entirely unnatural chainsaw, abominable in nature. The creature that had been Vincent's collected itself for a moment and then bent as if broken in the middle backwards.

-We liked her! LIKED HER! You killed her! Death to you! Death to you!-

The Hellmasker lunged at the abomination and for a moment both Cloud and Tifa watched as the chain-saw turned hand cut into the thing's flank. The Ex-Soldier shook his head, clearing his thoughts and collected his sword more firmly in his grip, mindful of the uncoordinated attacks of the Hellmasker he attacked it from the other side.

Tifa's eyes burnt with barely withheld tears and shock at seeing Vincent's face melt and another of his transformation... Just how many things had been done to this man for him to turn into so many abominations? It was here and then that she realized how stable Vincent was in reality and despite so many alteration by god-knows who... She suspected very strongly that Hojo was involved. The Ex-Turk had always harboured a deep seated hatred for the ShinRa scientist.

The brunette shook her head and focused. While both men were fighting she noticed it had used a bubbling attack, her equipped Command materia pulsed and she quickly reacted by jumping in front of Cloud. The Blond, surprised, yelled out to stop her but she absorbed the spell with not as much damage as she anticipated. She gave Cloud a reassuring smile indicating she was alright and he quickly activated the new Summon they had discovered in the mysterious glowed and for a moment what was once Vincent screached frustratingly as it phased out with them for a moment. A large bull stormed and plowed from the Aether into the abomination. As the dust settled and they re-phased. The Hellmasker growled and turned a moment to both Tifa and Cloud. The creature seemed particularly vulnerable to Earth-based damage.

-HOW DARE THEY!-

This woke up the dormant Vincent, who barely held onto consciousness in his own mind as it was. For the briefest of moments, Hellmasker weighed the option of killing them.

-It would be quick!- "No!" -The blood would flow red and smell wonderful- "No!"

To Cloud and Tifa, the Hellmasker grabbed it's head as it fought its internal dillema, yelling No while Jenova-Life lifted a large tentacle and prepared to batter it.

"VINCENT!" Cloud yelled, too late...

The Tentacle swept the transformed Ex-Turk aside and into the water next to the platform. He slid on the floor, through and next to Aerith, made slippery from her blood*. With a resounding splash he broke the water's calm took this oppertunity to uppercut the thing, while Cloud quickly set himself into his next stance.

-COLD WATER! Gyaaaa!- "Swim" Vincent's mind tried to dictate some kind of order, but the Hellmasker jumped from subject to subject without sense.

- Kill! The poor girl! I hate them! Run away! Maim them all! Stupid Harbinger, I'll tear her face out! No, I can't swim!-

The water was taking it's toll, without proper limb coordination Hellmasker was not doing a very good job at getting back to the surface. An electric shock went through his body and Vincent was not exactly back in his own body but his psyche was at the forefront. The Hellmasker had fled somewhere in the recess of his mind, but now he was effectively drowning.

'Is this it?'

Vincent thought as his lungs had taken in water and his arms were now now longer responding to his will. It was then, as if time stood still, he noticed a soft glow rising behind him. Very quickly it enveloped his body and he felt himself rising. His lungs ceased burning and a very strange calm suffused him. He thought he was dying... but faintly he heard a soft woman's noise.

-Remember your promise Valentine, you said you would watch him. I made my own."

His body turned in the water and he saw the glow to be comming from a dot of white in the depth of the water. His head broke the water's surface and he violently coughed and spewed the water in his lungs. Turning around, now in control of his limbs he reached the edge and pulled himself up. His claw felt odd , it was vibrating and as he lifted it, it screached and slowly stopped spasming. His whole body felt odd actually. He lifted his gaze and watched as Tifa and Cloud struggeled to kill the Jenovan abomination. Tifa was the worst off and had bruises from possibly being hit by the things Ex-Turk took a step, again his body felt disjointed. He then realized... he was no longer the hellmasker, he reached to his hip and pulled out the Short Barrel gun he had taken from Tseng, took aim and shot.

-POW-

Vincent hit the thing directly in an eye (he hoped it was an eye anyways). It screached and flailed. Cloud was able to get a hit in as the Ex-Turk closed the distance with the group, he slid next to Tifa and handed her an Elixir from his pocked in a graceful single action.

"Glad to have you back with us!" She took a moment to say as she swigged the liquid down in one gulp.

Vincent, never one to respond much when there wasn't much of a reason too, nodded his head once at least to show the martial artist he wasn't ignoring her. He threw his water logged cloak aside and cast Haste on the brunette. Back on her feet Tifa quickly lept into the frey once more. She was sick and tired of the uggly thing! Letting loose pent up rage at that moment, she used a limit break. The Ex-Turk was impressed as she connected with a series of leap attacks, punches, roundabout kicks to the thing, but the creature would not go down! Even Cloud was tiring now and gulping air in exhaustion.

Vincent held his gun back up and swirled the barrel... Odin! Concentrating, he used the last of his inner mana into it and cast it. The same phasing occured and another being of Gaia appeared. A dark portal broke the air and an ominous black smoke seeped from it as an unnatural numbered leg horse lept out, it's rider wearing a horned helmed, it drew it's sword as it's mount reared and rushed forward delivering a final blow to Jenova.

The calamity from the skies screeching as it's skin bubbled, it's hide melting as it finally died. Collapsing on itself it pooled black into the water. As it's essence touched the water it hissed and seemed to evaporate unnaturally. The 3 heroes all breathed heavilly in excertion of the fight until shock reached each of them in different ways as they realised... Aerith was dead. The whole battle had lasted longer than the few minutes a phoenix down had any three stood for a moment, not only collecting themselves on the onset of the battle but having the realisation at the passing of one of them sink in...

Tifa was the first to react... she slowly approached the other woman's body... it was odd, she seemed sleeping. She combed her hair back gently, wishing she hadn't been so...so... cold to her. She chanced a glance to Cloud who seemed almost stone faced, his expression as unreadable as Vincent's until she turned to look at the Ex-Turk and was surprised at... something in the gleam of his eyes as he hid his mouth's expression in his high-ridged stood back up, and left quickly, her fragile emotions wouldn't take much more of her staying here, she went to grieve elsewhere. As the brown haried martial artist quickly left, the red caped man, walked streadilly to their deceased comrades body. He stood over her a moment, his head lowered, seeing her... but not trully. His mind lost in what she had asked him and understanding now.

Cloud was like him, the blond had heard Jenova! The realisation stunned him, his body tensed, he chanced a glance at the younger man. The blond was obviously in shock. Vincent had seen it enough times as a Turk to know. Standing straighter, he walked towards him

The blue-eyed youth was staring straight ahead. His eyes fixed on Aeriths, yet at the same time seemed to have a far-away look. He couldn't feel anymore, couldn't even cry. She was... gone! Sephiroth had taken her from them... him... the world. What would he do? Without her!It took him a moment to realise that the Ex- Turk was standing directly in front of him. He couldn't even find the strength of will to look up at him at first. Yes... what was an Ex-Assassin's reaction to one of their own being killed? Curiosity though forced him to do so.

The gunman held his gaze a moment, then broke it, walking away with a surety Cloud could have sworn hadn't been there before. What he had seen snapped him out of his stupor.

-Resolve-

o0o

* * *

**Author's note: (OMG! It's been such a long time since I worked on this, I might as well re-read it!)**

**I'm sorry it took so much time, I hadn't had the author's nibble in a while. So maybe I'll finnish this finally!**

*Yes I am aware than in the original Final Fantasy 7 there is no blood... but also remember that it was the dawn of video-games and violence (like blood) wasn't as accepted back then as nowadays. Actually Final fantasy has always been sort-of anti-blood in their animations. Replacing hits with sparkles and what-not. So I went with a little bit more realism.


	10. Nightmares abound

Chapter 10: Nightmares abound.

o0o

Cloud couldn't sleep.

For good reasons! He had alot on weighing on his mind... they all did. Outside, he could think more clearly under the glowing lights of the trees in the Ancient city. She was... gone. Dear, gentle, kind loving Aerith... was gone. Now everyone was walking on eggshells around everyone else it seems. The only two members who weren't pretending in their grief were RedXIII and Vincent it seemed. The big cat had left them all in the middle of the night, but a keening wail could be heard in the distance and the blonde was pretty sure it wasn't a wolf. So, the big red creature was venting his own grief in his own way. On the other, the Ex-Turk hadn't changed his mannerisms one bit. He wondered if all Turks were this cold towards death and murder or if this particular one was worst than the rest. Thinking about Vincent left a sour taste in his mouth and he couldn't shake an angry feeling that bottled in the pit of his stomach thinking of the man.

The young swordsman dug his shoes into the sand a little deeper.

If it hadn't been for that freekish transformation that didn't seem to have any other point that to cause trouble! They could have killed that Jenovan abbomination sooner and maybe saved Aerith! Cloud gritted his teeth and his gloved hand dug deeper into the sand. He vented his frustration on the grain of sands. Taking steadying breaths. Damn Sephiroth! Damn Hojo and all the rest of them for this whole situation! Damn Shinra! Damn the Turks! Even the retired ones! That was it! He would tell Vincent he would have to leave. Tifa was right. He was too dangerous for them to have around anymore and his transformations too unpredictable to trust in battle. None of them even knew why he turned into those damn things in the first place anyways!

Speaking of the devil...

Cosmo Canyon's guardian was padding back, Cloud hadn't even noticed when the wailing had ceased, but surprisingly he was accompanied by the tall gunman. Even more surprisingly was that the said gunman had his human gloved hand gently placed on scruff of the creatures neck in an odd sympathetic way he had never seen Vincent offer before. The gesture took him aback, but not enough to appease the seething rage he felt inside, he brushed the observation quickly aside as they came closer to the conch shell they had made into their temporary shelter. The Swordman stood up stoicly.

"Valentine, we need to talk."

The Ex-Turk shifted his attention from the feline walking besides him to AVALANCHE's apparent leader. A moment of silence passed as both RedXIII and Vincent had detected an off tone to Cloud's voice. The ruddy creature lifted his head and an eyebrow to his companion. The Gunman gave one last pat to the massive shoulders and canted his head, indicating the beast should leave.

Once Red was out of normal human earshot Cloud dug into the ground preparing himself for a verbal confrontation and Vincent noticed it but didn't react. He stared evenly into the suprisingly tired looking eyes of the other man. For someone who had had their faces melted by a Jenovan laser beam, it was surprisingly intact. No vestiges of a fight.

"What's wrong with you?" Cloud's eyebrows scrunched in anger.

"... I beg your Pardon ?" The question took Vincent aback. For a moment not fully understanding the sense of the question he shifted minutely backwards in slight confusion. Which most people would miss, Cloud didn't. Taking it for a kind some kind of guilt. The blonde was an excellant swordman, postures, a look a change of expression were all betrayals in swordsplay. The Ex-Turk was better than most warriors in battle... and that was saying something.

"I said; What the hell is wrong with you? You turn into these murderous things without warning! You hardly speak to any of us, or told us anything about yourself. I'm starting to think you might not really be on our side and actually might be some kind of mole for ShinRa to keep tabs on us like Cait Sith. I mean who the hell sleeps in a coffin? We're not that stupid you know!"

The torrent of questions were stabbing. Just as Cloud's vocation was to wield a sword, he did so now with his words. Years of training ingrained in Valentine during his career had taught him to automatically put up a poker face during a verbal or physical confrontation to hide his intentions from his ennemies. It was second nature to him. He did so now with Cloud, his face and posture, virtually expressionless as he settled into a more relaxed if not nonchalant posture. Which again, the other noticed.

"Answer damnit! The Fuck is wrong with you? If you can't tell me, then this is it... I can't let you stay with us for the sake and safety of the rest of our group."

The raven haired gunman stayed deathly still until he lifted his left arm rapidly. The movement was so quick it startled even Cloud out of his mindset, thinking for a split second the Ex-Turk was going to attack, the Ex-Soldier slid a foot to the side in a ready stance, although he didn't have his sword with him. His mouth set in an angry scowl towards Vincent.

"Do you know... why I have this gauntlet?" The red capped man said finally.

"The hell would I know?" Cloud growled angrilly.

Slower than he had before, Vincent lifted the appendage to have the palm face the other man. He flexed the fingers each in succetion of the other, making sure the odd piston sounds of each and the clink of mechanical parts could be heard in the deathly silence following the other's verbal spattering.

"Did you know then... that if you socket a summon materia into someone's very flesh, that their bodie's tolerance hightens against a corresponding element?" The Ex-Turk voice was level. There was nothing glorious or condescending as he informed Cloud of this.

Vincent lowered the appendage. Lifting his right hand and pointing to his head, a black leather gloved finger pressing steadilly to his temple solidly hidden behind a mass of red bandanas. It was almost as if he mimed a position that eerilly reminded Cloud of someone preparing to commit suicide.

"But... as I am sure you know, having been exposed to high doses of Mako as a SOLDIER... that the body doesn't take kindly to mako... neither does the mind. I believe that it was Hojo who first to experimented with mako showers?"

Cloud wasn't sure where this was going. He eased out of the former battle stance he had taken and stood uneasilly faced with reallity. Of all the things he had expected, Vincent speaking back and explaining something of himself, was not one of them. Cloud had imagined more along the lines that the gunman simply would turn and leave, proving him right or something similar. The age-old proverb flashed briefly in his head; 'Be careful what you wish for'.

It didn't seem as if the Ex-Turk was finnished though, as he lowered his clawed hand back into the folds of his cap he slowly stepped to his side, keeping his gaze locked with the blonds'. Vincent narrowed his unnaturally red eyes, the first indication of any kind of strong emotion on the pocker-faced assassin's since responding to Cloud's verbal taunt. It was now he noticed the large black fatigue lines under them.

"We both have similar motivations Strife. I believe that we both have similar scars as well, however differently we may suffer them ..."

Cloud didn't dare cut the other man off, this was the most he had ever learnt of the silent gunman in one actual setting. A dreadful suspicion started to rise within his mind; Procedures, experiments, grafting...mako showers... Torture? For a moment he recalled the creature in the Nibelheim reactor, he remembered how Sephiroth had ranted about being created. His father being Hojo... and he snapped back to reality.

He wasn't in front of any of those things, he was standing in front of Vincent Valentine. At that moment he understood... and felt the begginings of shame boil within him at his own stupidity. He couldn't help being curious at the choice of the gunman's words. Without revealing too much about himself, while using things they already knew. He'd just explained that he was a victim without drawing pitty from him. Cloud understood this, he was a warrior himself and would have hated it.

It was as if Vincent could read his mind and answered in a calmer tone, smoother than the harsh monotonous tone he had just used to douze Cloud with insight.

"If you are curious to know... they are unpleasant whispers in the night for me as well. Especially when I dream. But... I suppose all of us are plagued by our own nightmares."

The blond swordman took a step back and sucked a breath in. A look of both horror and incredulity froze him to the ground. He KNEW! About the dreams! The aqua eyes opened in shock.

The Ex-Turk simply turned without betraying any other emotions on his carefuly upkept poker face and walked away.

o0o

The gunman plopped harshly onto the edges of his cot. The sleeping arrangements made, conveniently placed Vincent's room at the edge of the Conch and it was so small a space there was only one cot. Which was fine. Since sharing would have been... complicated. Completely and utterly exhausted he stretched in an attempt to find some last dredges of strength in his battered body. Since he had been awoken from the coffin underneath ShinRa manor, he hadn't been as drop dead tired as he was now. Even though his body seemed to have unnatural healing capabilities, it didn't seem to apply to slumber. He certainly wasn't immune to emotional trauma either, no matter what others thought of him. He wasn't a stone cold unfeeling being. Otherwise he wouldn't be human right?

He flexed his metalic claw...

...right.

Vincent Valentine told himself these things evertime he prepared himself for sleep. He dreaded it immensilly and pushed it off as long as he could before his body would simply take no more of it. Ironically, the party hadn't noticed that their tag-along friend was a chronic insommniac. Even if he had been with them for a few weeks now of travelling. He'd found that if he passed out from fatigue when they made camp he would be spared most of the nightmares. Sighing, the gunman unclasped his cloak and gun holster. He stared at the Short Barrel a moment, then went to fetch another weapon from the communal bag, his Sniper CR. For a moment he weighed the option of switching his main weapon for a less powerful one, yet his Sniper CR was more accurate. Clicking his tongue he kept the Sniper CR and put back the ShortBarrel, not forgetting to unslot the materia, he arranged them in basically the same combination as before:

(Haste)=(Sneak Attack) , (Bio)=(Added effect). His usual mixture of materia. For a moment he peered at the orbs and remembered comically how Yuffie had stolen these from him. He wondered how she had done it without him noticing.

He pocketed the extra 'Sense' materia the weapon couldn't slot and slipped it into one of the many pockets of his cloths. Scratching his prickling eyes he prepared for the inevitable. Drawing his bandana out of his hair he securilly wrapped his metallic appendage with it and lay to rest... hopefully it would be just that.

o0o

The Martial artist had been pretending to sleep when frankly, just as Cloud, she couldn't. Although not a rookie to violence, nor even to death. She couldn't find her mind to flee the images of the blade stealing the life of a friend.

She heard a clink and soft walk she recognised as Vincent's. The simple fact that his metal-tipped boots made more noise than usual when the gunman must know that most of them were sleeping was a good indication of how tired he was. Tifa knew he could be deathly quiet despite the metal footguards.

She stayed as she was, with her head on the pillow, eyes wide open. Yuffie was in the opposite bed, sound asleep by the softness of the other young girl's breath. RedXIII had plomped down into his corner a while back, also sound asleep by the soft crooning he made in deep slumber. Usually appeasing on most nights, but not this one.

She heard the Ex-Turk work on what she assumed was re-slotting for a while. Which wasn't entirely out of norm for him, the man was meticulous in keeping his weapon clean. Something she did admire actually. Odd... now that she thought of it, she had never actually seen or heard him actually go to sleep. The shuffling from the other end-room betrayed an odd sense of down-to-earthyness, a truth of him in the night they weren't normally privy to. She heard a bed creak under a weight.

At some point Tifa lost track of time, staring at nothing in particular. Attempting to meditate somewhere along the lines. An hour or so passed before her eyes started tearing up a bit and she yawned. Then she heard it...

... some sort of ... muffled keening. She lifted her head minutely, trying to hear it again. It was gone... then back again. A soft scratch on wood accompannied it. The brunette propped herself on her elbows on her cot. It was comming from the other side, Vincent's room. Was it a mouse?

The mystery intensified as she heard what was obviously the gunman turning in his cot and a large wooden scratching until a solid splintering sound resounded through the wall. It wasn't particularly loud enough to wake Yuffie, but RedXIII snorted a bit but kept on sleeping. Tifa worried somewhat but she was so tired... her eyes fell close despite herself as she heard soft sorrowful whimpers from the other room forming words. If she had strained she could have heard them more clearly.

She forgot everything the next morning.

o0o

The city was wrapped in an odd perpetual night, making everyone feel more sleepy than they should in the twilight. To the exception of both Yuffie, the ever cheerful. At least she had returned somewhat to her old self, but everyone could feel somekind of sugar glazing to her actions despite herself. Eventually they motivated themselves to keep going northward, which was the direction where they all believed Sephiroth might have headed. There was a small touristic town center, called Icicle Inn that lay in that direction. Although the death of Aerith still weighed helplessly on everyone's mind, the journey in the cold crisp air taxed many's tolerance for lower temperatures.

The teenager whined with particular gusto! Although each had a warmer cloak for particular bad-weather, they were obviously not dressed adequatly for the temperatures in sub-antartic and temperate regions. The altitude in the mountains didn't help with the amount of wind either. All-in-all it took them the better part of a day or so to climb up towards the valley's lip.

Fortunatly the creatures that lived around the mountains were not particularly dangerous and as the ranged party members spotted them they would kill them off rapidly before any major battle would occur. Vincent was then glad he had switched his gun to a sniping one. The range was more accurate on it and the Bio would kill off most aggressive creatures before they even got to them. Cid was a real champ at mountain climbing it seemed. The man was in good health, reguardless of the fact that he seemed to have chained smoke the last day or. He put a few of them to shame braving a few of the gulleys with more energy than normal. No one said anything about the change in the pilot's mood. It could also be that with his natural training as a pilot he didn't fear heights as much and actually enjoyed the vertigo itself! Eventually they spotted the retreat. They happilly sauntered in that direction but the 2nd lead halted in his tracks.

Cloud noticed and turned around, noticing Vincent had stopped mid-walk. The ruby-eyed man peered in the distance.

"What is it?"

The raven locks flicked around in the others face, despite the bandana to tame them.

"ShinRa soldiers. There are a few behind us now and a few ahead."

The blond unneasilly gripped the back of his sword over his shoulder. He gritted his teeth. Overhearing, Barret twisted his gunarm and the others readied themselves for any potential conflict. RedXIII sneezed and grumbled something along the lines as 'too much win to have sniffed them out' - or something like it.

"We're surrounded?" AVALANCHE's leader asked.

"Yes, but they would have attacked by now. I think they mean to keep us in Inn's area and track our movements. "

The heavy gunner scowled and Cid flicked a half smoked cigarette in annoyance.

"Damn foos! They really haven't learnt up'till now that there's no stopping us? We got the whole gang too!"

Tifa nodded, "If a few of us can take most of what they've thrown us up until now, it'd just be suicide for them to try with all of us here now."

Vincent checked his holster to make it easier access before turning to the rest of them. "Or a strategic oppertunity."

"OOOOOOOOOOHHHHH! Can we just get to the damn Icicle lodge now! My tippy toes are freezing!" Yuffie stomped from foot to foot to emphasise her frustration.

Tifa simply abstained from commented and turned towards Cloud to wait his decision. The blonde swordsman turned to peer back out into the distance, spotting a few of the advance scouts Vincent had. The man was good a good spotter. They had camouflage coats and it was hard to spot them if you didn't notice them move. He took a moment to think before answering.

"Well it's not use just standing here like sitting ducks, they probably know that we know by now. We might as well just go at this point."

The group nodded and grunted ascent. Ever warry of a Soldier attack, they entered the small retreat-like city slowly

o0o.

**Author's notes... **

It's difficult leaving something for so long, then getting back into writting a few chapters and then discovering that they are very different from the rest of the story (style, point of view, etc...) It's frustrating! UGH!

We still have a bit to go before the climactic decision Vincent takes of staying with the group before facing Sephiroth and his motivation behind it! (Which is where I intend to have this fic go).

PLEASE BE AWARE! That this is the re-imagining of the game's story in a more serious tone. A little bit more realistic as well than PHS (phone-a-friend) teleportation capabilities of cellphones for telling the story of what's happening while the rest of the group is off doing something else.


	11. Snow covered tales

**Chapter 11: Snow covered tales**

o0o

As they made their way farther into the small hamlet known oddly as Icicle Inn, the group decided to split in two to cover more grounds and find out two things: Firstly, did Sephiroth pass through here and secondly, why was ShinRa here in such apparent large numbers? As if magically appearing common footsoldiers of the company appeared at the entrances of the area and they were effectively barred from leaving unless it was by force. The townsfolk deserved better than to have this drop in on them. Cloud, Yuffie and Vincent went off to the Eastern edges with all the shops... well *the* shop, which was a weapon store luckilly, Vincent and Barrett were both low on ammunition and they themselves needed a few more potions. They hoped a patron or passerby would have noticed someone as flashy as Sephiroth! Tifa, Barret, Cid and Red opted for renting the inn and asking cautious questions to find out when the soldiers had arrived and if it was related to either their own presence or not.

"Grand Pa! Wake up we have a customer!" A small girl dressed warmly in a pink winter coat bounced next to an older man dozing in a rocking chair. The elder grunted and shook his head.

"Oh! Pardon me! What would you like?"

The gunman had already spotted a vintage shot-gun behind the counter that he put down his share of the gil for. The weapon did not have as much range but much more power and the stock had 6 materia slots. 2 paires of linked and two singles. He was permited to hold it and nodded appreciative of the balance and the condition of the weapon. Yuffie clucked as she found a range thrown boomerang weapon which was not her typical chakram or fuma shurinkens, but just like a novel new bag, she put her share down. Cloud looked at her oddly when she placed it at her back.

"What? It's sharper than my Engetsurin (Razor wind)!"

"Sure it is." The blonde retorted in a disbelieving voice. "Just make sure you can aim properly with it and all will be fine."

The young shinobi bit her lip in obvious frustration of the Ex-Soldier and then scrunching her eyes shut, childishly blew him a raspberry. Vincent ignored the two and finnished his own purchase of rounds, inclinning is head. Almost as an afterthough Cloud asked the owner of the weapon's shop if he'd seen a black cloaked long silver haired man.

"Hmm... well long silver hair no. Cloaked in black yes, definatly. Very odd character just came and passed. Not too long after all these ShinRa chaps and strangers came in.

"Is he a bad man? Do they want to catch him to put him in prison?" The little girl bundled in pink chirped in.

Cloud had always had a sort of soft spot for children and shylly his arm his right arm went to scratch the back of his scruffy short hair.

"Well yeah actually, he is a bad man. We're trying to find him. Don't worry though, we're pretty tough, he won't get too far."

Yuffie smiled all teeth as the little girl's face lit up. Vincent turned to leave the building reminding them that they had other things to do. The young kunoichi waved goodbye to the little girl one last time before tightening the strings of her cloak to brave the outside weather. When she passed the door, the wind licked her face and she shivered instantly.

"Ugh, can we just go to the inn now, I hate this temperature, it's never so cold in Wutai!"

Cloud nodded, although he wasn't as cold, he still wore the same winter cloak as all of them. As they walked, an odd house caught his eye. It was ramshackled but what really drew him to it was worn masking tape torn in areas that had the ShinRa company property logo. The tapes where so old though that most of the color was faded from it.

"Wait, what do you suppose that's all about?"

The two stealthiest members of the team stopped walking in the snow a moment to look more attentively at the house in question. The sound of their feet in the crunchy snow left a dead silence as they pondered.

"We should go take a look... I mean, maybe it has something to do with why those guards are here?"

The swordsman nodded.

"It looks like some people have gone in recently by the tracks in the snow, the door's practically cracked ajar anyways." He turned to Vincent, who hadn't moved or hinted at his opinion in the matter. The blonde made a motion with the hand as a sign to follow and Vincent grudgingly did.

Yuffie squinted an eye at this, was it her or were the two of them brushing each other in the wrong direction? She could feel a tension from the traumatic events of yesterday, but something was definitely wrong with the duo. Oh well, must be some macho thing, Yerck!

As they all squeezed through the frame they came into a room strewn with computer equipment, wires, tables and other studious-like academic equipment. The whole place looked to have been raided of the more important stuff though and there was only 1 terminal and a busted up camera at the other end of the room. There was a good amount of dust, but it was obvious that someone... or even a few people had been here by the large tracks and cleaner spots. The Ex-Soldier and Shinobi avidly went around poking around while the red cloaked gunman had frozen on his feet at the stairs.

The two others were so drawn by their exploration that they missed the large tensing of the soldiers, quick intake of breath and then subsequent closing of Vincent's eyes as he forced himself into some measure of calm. This only took a few moments of time and in the space of a minute he was withdrawn as usual, his head lowered into the mouth of his cape, completely dissinterested of the surroundings.

"Hey looky here!" Yuffie exclaimed pointing to a terminal. "Some of the videos in here are damaged or missing but I think I found a few."

Cloud peered over her shoulder. "Nice going, what are they about."

"Welllllll. Some of them are about the Cetra."

Shocked at their incredibly find, the two of them went through the videos in relatively short work. They made the amazing discovery that the videos portrayed a pregnant woman, named Ifalna who knew a great deal of the Ancient Lore. What was even more stricking was her uncanny resemblance to their dearly departed friend. Once they reached the end of the feeds. They clicked the terminal off with a heavy hand, their heads lowered in grief in remembering her.

"Satisfied ?"

The voice boomed as if from nowhere and the sonority of it was surprising. Vincent had been very quiet all day and now was an odd moment to break his apparent vow of silence. He addressed the question to the wall, not even deeming it necessary to face them as he made his question-almost-statement.

"So... Vince... uh I mean Vincent." Yuffie cleared her voice. "Why aren't you interested in this stuff anyways?" She shifted from one foot to the other, lifting the other from the floor childishly. "I mean, anything about the ancients will help us against Sephiroth."

The red cloaked marksman turned to face her briefly, then went back into his relaxed position staring at the wall away from them.

"I take no interest in any scientific experimentation."

Which seemed true enough, the man had obvious issues with scientists, especially Hojo whom he seemed to hate and detest with a passion. From the videos they could see why. The man was despicable. Cloud blinked at this, lowering his head a moment he tapped the terminal once with his hand in a sort of self-motivating way and did a last sweeping brush of the place with his eyes before nodding once to himself.

"Let's get out of here."

As the three climbed over a ridge a man stopped them. He was dressed warmly in a long blue wintercoat and wearing a russian

"Hey don't go over there, the cliff is real steep and you might fall. It's dangerous! Please don't go!"

Cloud peered around the corner and effectively, the cliff sloped down around the bend past the trees and there were no buildings past this bend.

"Thanks for your kindness" Cloud answered, as they turned to go back towards where they believed they'd missed the turn for the Inn.

The man straightened suddenly.

"What the? Who are those people over there!" He pointed with an awkward mitten to the group of Soldiers and surrouding another person shuffling quickly towards them. "uh... looks like trouble!"

As rapidly as he had come to warn them of the danger facing him, he left them to the incomming party. Tensing for a fight, the three reached for their weapons. Vincent clenched his teeth, he hadn't slotted the 2 unlinked materia slots of his new gun, Tifa had all the orbs.

"There they are! Hurry!" It was a woman's commanding tone which led 2 escort guards

A blond woman wearing a Turks heavy jacket issued for colder climates, while still keeping the authoritive uniform approached them. She hissed a threat and accused them of having injured their leader Tseng. The ruby eyed Ex-Turk remembered the name, it was the name of the man who'd been injured in the temple they had tried to retrieve the black materia with mixed results. She was obviously emotionally compromised, which was clearly unproffessional of her if she indeed was a Turk. She tried to take a swing at Cloud, who easilly dodge to the side.

Vincent sighed, his breath congealing in the crisp air. The sound unnaturally loud comming from ... pathetic. Totally forgetting about her cold feet for a moment, Yuffie observed the happenstance alongside him. Trying to withold her giggle as the guards hastefully chased after her barreling form.

The gunman shook his head one last time and Yuffie could have sworn she'd heard a tinsy winny tiny sigh of exasperation comming from him. Which was still something to go on! That Vincent! He told more in his silence than he did talking. Which he did very seldomly actually. From conversations with the others, she'd gleaned that he had been a Turk once... Which wasn't that impressive frankly... Those that she'd seen were real wimps and didn't compare to the 'former' one who'd apparently chosen to join their fight as a member of AVALANCHE. Yuffie prided herself as being a pretty good Ninja and information gatherer! I mean she had braved the 5 step pagoda and traditional Shinobi leaders of Wutai and WON!

Vincent was easycakes, he tried to look cool and collected, but it was all an act! It was something most of her elders had tried to teach her. Keep up a front at all times, exhude a cruel cold demeanor and your ennemies will often opt against engaging with you. Well... it did seem to work for Vincent, but she could never pull it off! The young ninja smiled to herself at her own insiteful reasoning as they quickly made their way up to the Icicle Inn's actual Inn!

o0o

"I really dislike these open style bedrooms." Tifa huffed falling ungracefully onto one of the three beds, the coverlets puffing up and slowly falling back down while the air displaced underneath.

"You said it, it's kinda... I don't know. Un-privaty."

"That aint even a !%$# word!" Cid freely retorted

"Well! Neither is !%#!"

The two started arguing. A nightly event with the two and usually to Barrett's great entertainment. Mostly, the others ignored them while they went about checking gear and preparing for the next day, but they needed to discuss what they'd found today.

"Might we be able to get a word in between you two jabbering incessantly?"

"Jabber's not a word!" Yuffie got the last word in, folded her arms like an child and then plopped down the same way Tifa had on the opposite side of the same large Kingsized bed.

Barret guffawed for a few moments before Cloud stepped in the middle of the room, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Alright, so we found out that Sephiroth's been through here and went towards the great glacier and the Turks are here also..." He paused to give someone else a chance to put in their finding.

Cid, noisilly sratching the stubble of his beard his Javelin in a relaxed position as he was already standing clipped in "The citys' under martial law. It aint lookin pretty. They know the man just went through here and probably're looking to nab us at the same time."

RedXIII extended a paw, tapping the ground in indication he would speak and everyone payed attention to the big russet cat-like beast.

" I do not believe we will be leaving this area without a fight, however a small portion of our group is sought out more than the rest. Perhaps we could be furtive and have Cloud, Tifa and Barret leave by stealth?"

The group pondered on this option for a moment before Yuffie chirped!

"Ohh! I know, that cliff was real steep, you could snowboard down there?"

"What is a snowboard?"

The question surprised all of them and they turned to find the source leaning at the edge of a window, clad in red.

"Really Vince, ya never heard o'snowboardin?" Barret asked incredulously.

The gunman was surprised by the response and attention such a simple question had garnered him.

"Is it... a board made of snow?"

This caused laughter to fill the whole room. Which puzzled him furthur. The Ex-Turk's eyes widened, unnused to being the center of attention and his arms uncrossed as he felt a compulsion to scratch the back of his head in embarassment. A momevement he barely caught in time to lay his right hand down stiffly at his side.

"Ok... well I don't where you've been Valentine, but it's a sport which you use a board with to slide on snow."

Cloud's barely surpressed chuckling answer didn't comfort him at all. It only reminded him of the length of time he'd spent in a coffin. Which is where he'd *been* for the last 20 something years.

"Ok well! I think that's a good idea and, Barrett I know you can board, you've done alot of it with Marlene. We could probably sneak by real early in the morning. They don't seem to patrol the back on account of the danger of that cliff."

Tifa stood up from the bed, her posture radiating positive determination.

"We will join you by other means once ShinRa has either moved or dealt with if it comes to that." RedXIII supplied the last bit of a plan.

Cloud frowned and crossed his arms. "I hate leaving you here to deal with ShinRa all alone."

"Tssssha!" Cid scoffed mockingly. "Quite yer bravado Kid, we're all as capable of dealin with these lowlifes if it comes to it!" The gruff pilot tapped the end of his spear on the wooden floor for emphasis.

The blonde swordsman smiked and relaxed from his cross armed posture. Making a fist he punched the air in an upward motion. "Well then, it's solid. We have a plan. Hopefully you guys can join us down at the glacier. Red'll be able to find us better than ShinRa's goons anyways."

The beast nodded confidently, the pins and feathers in it's mane clinking gently. The group adjourned the meeting to chat about other things in and between themselves, preparing for sleep and tomorrow. While the only member that hadn't left his spot since the meeting still remained at the window peering off into the distance. This wasn't an odd behavior for him so most didn't notice how concentrated the ruby eyes were on something in the far off end of the village.

o0o

**Author's notes:**

Shorter than I'd like but: Yay! Another chapter! I feel more confident about this one, the next is going to be just plain AWESOME (but might take a few days to write)

Psssssst if you want to see some fan-art I am doodling from scenes of this, go look at my profile. I have the photobucket linked in there.


	12. Nightrunning

**Chapter 12: Nightrunning.**

* * *

It wasn't too long before all of his comrades fell asleep, ever the insomniac, Vincent had opted out of the beds or cots which they were forced to share for the window ledge. As they were generally used him taking first watches at camp and generally tending to stay aside or to doze in chairs upright. They chalked it off as one of his normal habits. Truthfully, the chair thing was so that he would wake up if ever nightmares occured. He was rather distructive on furniture when he had them.

Vincent listened in dead silence as everyone's breathing evened and some of the men, especially Barrett (unsurprisingly) snored. At least it wasn't cacaphonically loud. The motel establishment had also turned in and the corridor was void, the lobby was unattended at night. The couple who owned the cash register removed any valuables and brought them in the back room where the lived in the inn itself. The furnace on the north Eastern side of the quaint little hotel was banked for the night as well.

The former Turk eased off from the ledge, quietly. No one had noticed that he had removed the brass tips of his boots and he walked down. Being cautious not to step on the 3rd nor 6th step down which he had noticed climbing to the room, creaked. Stealthilly with no one the wiser, he went to do what he was best: nightrunning.

Unbeknownst to him, someone had caught onto what she considered a game now. The shinobi had actually furtively noticed him taking off the brass tips, which he absolutely never did . Observation as a ninja was key and she was self-satisfied that she had emulated Tifa's breathing satisfyingly enough for him to think she was sleeping. Yuffie cautiously slid away from her bed-sharing partner. The martial artist was a light sleeper, so it was no easy feat.

Picking up her equipment she tip-toed, obviously ninja-like, to the downstairs common bathroom to change without waking anyone.

Why was he up running about so late? Specifically, why didn't he want anyone else to know? There had to be a reason for him to have removed the brass tips so no one would hear him leave? The Kunoichi rolled those questions in her head, hurriedly tying up her shoes and doning her white cloak. Hopefully he hadn't gotten too far. There had been a very slight flurry of snow in the evening, which had no settled. Since it had been late at night, there wouldn't be too many tracks to follow. Which reminded that her own would stand out, she looked around and noticed a few other patron's boots drying near the furnace... Although some where too big, if ever he'd notice tracks following him (as she was sure he was bright enough to), at least he wouldn't automatically know it was her.

She doned the heavy boots and pinched hersef to remember to be more careful sneaking with the encumbering things. The brunette closed her eyes to get them used to the dark in advance and set outside and very quickly shifted out of the light at the entrance of the inn. Hopefully now one will have noticed her drawing herself out so quickly from the light. She opened her eyes and scanned the snow... Hmm... the gunman had gone to higher grounds. There was unfortunatly very little in the ways of rooftops, a few high stone walls here and there to cut the wind but otherwise, from memory Yuffie knew there was a patch of trees to the side. She followed the wall, noticing the disturbance in the snow in a particular area. Following it and dodging open areas. She still kept trying to spot him without herself being seen. Instincts told the shinobi she was close to her quarry and would have to slow down at this point. She strained her ears at this point.

"..."

There!

A very faint metallic sound of something straining. Maybe somekind of gutter and someone was climbing the edges of a building's roof just on the other side of the wall she was behind. She shuffled as quietly as she could to the edge to peer on the edge. There he was, hoisting himself expertly indeed onto the tiles of the weapon shop's roof. A chunk of snow flumped onto the ground as her bigger-than-normal boots' edges had caught a branch from a shrub near the wall. He steadied himself at the end of his jump onto the rooftop, then stiffened. Yufie's breath caught and she quickly retreated back behind the wall and prayed he wouldn't check.

There was a deathly quiet silence, which you could have heard a pin drop, before she heard the flick of his cape and he moved onwards. Away from her.

She let the breath go. The man was sharply attentive. This was awesome! She'd never been so challenged before tracking Vincent Valentine. To Yuffie, this was all fun and games, but she understood deep down that there was something odd about a grown man, sneaking in the dead middle of the night without saying anything to his friends about it.

The Kunoichi waited a moment, before she took out her Hawkeye boomerang, angling the blade she used it as a mirror to peer at the ledge. She was able to catch the last of his cape as it dissapeared on the other side of the roof and she heard a definite but soft metal thomp as he seemed to land on something other than tile or stone. Which she found odd. What could of made that noise?

Yuffie peered a little more, there were still soldiers on the other edge of the Weapon's shop from her vantage point. Her back to the wall, they were farther up ahead to her right. Vincent had gone over to the other side this route, because otherwise the ShinRa Soldiers would have spotted him in the light of a lamp post left of the entrance of the Weapon's shop. She wondered if she could roll past the light into the other hedge she knew was there before the guards noticed her. Well... only way to know!

She shuffled on her knees keeping her teeth clenched against the cold and she slid to the very fait stairs. The guards had their back to the building. Neato!

"Easy as pie" She silently whispered. She expertly left the large boots in the corner between the entrance of the weapon's shop and wall. It was critical she brought them back, but she would be too impaired to do what she wanted next.

She decided on a spot to hide

...waited a moment... or two...

One of them coughed.

Now!

She closed the gap in 3 steps to the next shadow and stopped dead under a particularly large pine tree, her back on the trunk. The large boughs ladden with snow and efficient hiding spot. The guards seemed oblivious to her passing. Yuffie smiled. She looked on the other side of the building to the angle which she hadn't seen.

'Damn that wasn't there before!' She exclaimed in her head.

There was a large assembly of ShinRa military vehicles, 3 APCs and 2 tents which where tied to them. She was damned lucky not to have been noticed by anyone because she could see another foot soldier in between the vehicles warming his hands on a fire nestled in the crook of the vehicles facing away diagonally from her. He could very well have her in her line of sight. Shit! If she moved, she could be spotted returning. A particularly large gust managed to seep under her cloak and she shivered. Then she spotted him again.

The red-cloaked gunman was almost in plain sight, thankfully it was a very small moon, otherwise his silouette would have stood out. She had only caught a glint of his metal arm as he made his way on top of the APCs to the middle one. With envy, Yuffie observed him lean down and use his own claw as she had used her Hawkeye to peer inside the vehicle before agily sliding on the very edge of the vehicles tent opening. The guard hadn't heard a thing over the crackle and pop of his fire.

The young Kunoichi bit her lip. What the hell was he DOING? He could cause a huge fight if they caught him sneaking like that, and they wouldn't even be ready for ShinRa since they were all (well except her of course) sleeping! Her worries abeited slightly but not altogether as he didn't take long to leave the Armored vehicle with something in his hands. It looked like an enveloppe.

Yuffie's hands were becoming numb, but she couldn't rub them because that would make noise She clenched and unclenched them as she watched the Ex-Turk slide like a serpant on the edge of the APC back to the side of the Weapon's shop and hop over the wall of it's backyard court. All without practically making any sound outside over the sound of the wind and fire.

Now she was in a pickle. If she left, that guard at the fire would most certainly see her... what do do?

Yuffie put her arms hands under her armpits. Well... her back was certainly cramping under this tree and the pinecones under her knees where digging into all the wrong places... hmm... pinecones. He smile widened devilishly as she took two and sighted the next tree in the opposite direction. She glanced back at the soldiers in front of the shop. They had started talking, something about: Cats being always in the way...' she prayed this could all be pulled off together. She waited for a punch line in one guard's story and threw one pine cold high and over so that it angled to drop practically verticaly onto the fire, the other straight at an upper branch of the next tree. She counted to three:

1- The cone dropped into the fire with a big thick thonk which started the ShinRa Soldier. For a moment of shock he looked around for where it had come from.

2- The 2nd pine cone hit the upper branch of the opposite tree and the guard saw it as it slid down with a bit of snow. His shoulders lowered in relief

3- Of the two guards talking, one started laughing at the end of the other's hilarious story about cats.

She dashed. Again in 3 large bounds she made it to the adjoining shadow and was reunited with the over-sized pair of boots.

'I'm just THAT awesome!' Yuffie bragged in her head. She then remained still for a while, wathing... yup, there he was. Vincent jumped from the wall's edge where she had peered around before and walked the back edge of someone's house back towards the inn. She waited a moment before remembering a very important detail of the layout of Icicle Inn village. Along the edges of the steep cliff and woods behind the hamlet to the north. The wall looped around and there was a window behind the Inn that led into the common bathroom. If she was quick, she could get there before Vincent got back, that was if he used the same furtive: 'I don't want to leave tracks' route!

Well... operation, race Vincent had commenced! She tied the oversized boots laces together, she wouldn't need them to come back if she was using this alternate route anyways and she would make much less noise with her own. She dashed to the northern side wall and made her way along it's edges, through the forest. The snow was deep and her whole leg would sometimes poke through. Her boots would be wet when she came back but... meh... it was all worth it! She finally got to the inn itself and in total dark, gauged where the windows where. 1, 2, 3rd from the left. That was the one! She pulled her Hawkeye out again and wedged it in the crack, sliding it to the left and unhooking the bolt. She pushed the window up in a very steady rythm and with alot of force. If it got stuck or she had to wiggle it, it would make too much noise otherwise. Using the Hawkeye to keep the window open, she put the boots on the edge and jumped with her fingers grabbing the ledge. She didn't let herself roll completely. Midway, her arm muscles tensed and kept her from fully entering the actual bathroom with a thump. She eased herself down the rest of the way in gracefully. Taking the boots back and then putting the sharp boomerang into her mouth she eased the window back down and locked it.

She then strained her ears. Was he already here? Could he had heard her? Her heart was beating wildly. After a few minutes, she began to doubt he had really on route back. Where the heck was he? She cautiously made her way in the common, putting back her cloak and the borrowed boots exactly as she'd found them. She then went back to the common's bathroom and waited for him there.

It was almost a full half hour before he came back. The door creaked on the other side of the bathroom. Quickly she took her cloak off and stuffed it in a corner along with her own boots and those she'd borrowed for the nightscapade. If ever he entered here by complete random chance, he'd see her in her jammies and socks and she'd do the best she could to act half awake and having gone to the bathroom. Why had he been gone for so much longer? Had he met with trouble or with someone maybe?

The shuffling from the bathroom was comming from the right. So he had to be in the furnace area. She heard some paper shuffling and then a slight ripping tear. A metalic sound of something opening.

Was he throwing something in the fire?

It wasn't long before she heard the sound of the metal grate of the furnace closing again and the russle of a cloak moving up towards the common rooms they shared again. he even remembered the 2 creaky stairs... hmmm... She had a new idol!

Well... curiosity killed the cat! Yuffie couldn't wait too long to see what he'd thrown in the furnace, if anything had survived she had to be quick about it. There was a risk though, that he'd hear her. He would definitly notice her abscence from the bed as soon as he got upstairs. So she dashed as quickly and quietly as she could to the North Eastern part of the inn, a quick glance at the furnace showed her not much had been spared, except a very small piece stuck in one of the slots of the grate which she quickly picked off and placed between her belly and pyjama elastic band. She quickly dashed back to the washrooms and flushed a toilette.

Hopefully, her deceitful ruse would work! She prayed he wasn't better than the GREAT Yuffie Kisaragi! She made much more noise and washed her hands (especially to get rid of the soot). Listening for furthur footsteps comming back down, satisfied that there wasn't. She padded back upstairs in the best Zombie walk she could without being too careful about making noise either.

He was back exactly as he'd been at his observation spot. As she climbed back up, she yawned (actually a true one, she was dead tired) and unexpertly in the dark went back to her side of the bed she shared with Tifa. The other woman grumbled in half-sleep as she was woken for a few seconds and then went straight back to slumber. The wutain slipped under the blankets once again. She wasn't too sure what Vincent was doing, she hadn't payed much attention to him, so as not to draw any suspicion that she might be onto him and his nightrunning.

She'd have the results in the morning. She carefully slid the piece from her waistband underneath her pillow.

o0o

* * *

**Author's notes:**

I hope you're happy! It's 1:00AM! GAH! I absolutely had to finnish this chapter before going to sleep... so, here it is! Don't mind the typo or grammar, it was the dead middle of the night! grrrrr!


	13. Your real ally and friend

**Chapter 13: Your real ally and friend.**

In the morning as people gathered downstairs in the commons for breakfast, Yuffie stalled upstairs. Purposefully being last to leave the rooms. Excitedly she reached under the pillow and pulled out the small piece of paper rescued from the fire. She'd been too rushed last night and hadn't really had a chance to read it up till now. The suspence was killing her. The Shinobi spread the crinkled edges, blackened and charred and a few frail bits chipped from the main body of it. It was a few inches across and where she could read any letters it said.

* * *

...erminate their leader Cl... rife at a dist...

..o no...ngage the main ..ALANCHE gr... or...immen

..reinstated...urks. He will be a gre.. ..ly if he can be persua...

* * *

As she read, Yuffie's heart both sped up and sunk deeply into her chest. Where these orders? Did Vincent sneak to get them from his former employers? But then... why would he have to sneak at all? Maybe it was a ruse he had to keep up to make them believe if they caught him that he was on their side...Yuffie closed her eyes and furrowed her brows, frustrated at her circular reasoning. UGH! Was he or wasn't he on their side? What worried her the most was that they were targeting Cloud. It was obvious they wanted him well... gone... She scrunched the piece, which practically powdered in her hand from fire damage and threw all the small bits spread in the cigarette tray Cid used. She quickly tore down the stairs to gulp her breakfast which Tifa had set to the side for her.

The martial artist lifted an eyebrow in question. Maybe just wondering why she'd been upstairs so long. To which Yuffie just smiled reassuringly as a reply.

"So I looked around and this kid just gave me his snowboard since he got hurt on it, he doesn't want it anymore. I bought 2 more at the store." Cloud randomly stated to the group, as they were all assembled anyways. He might as well.

So the planned made, everyone double checked their wreapons and re-slotted the materia. Which was the most dreaded part of the day for Cid.

"Godamn, complicated piece of no good magical nick-nack! I can never figure out how to combine them $%# things properly and forget half the time who has what!"

This wasn't the first time someone had to help Cid slot his Javelin. He was still using the Slash Lance he'd purchased while at their stay in Wutai. The thing had 2 linked and a single materia like Vincent's Shortbarrel. Everyone tried to pursuade the man to use his Viper Halberd because of the worksmanship in it, the materia would tune better. But the gruff pilot insisted on being hard-headed and figuring out how linking worked. Whereas everyone was starting to loose patience with the older man, once RedXIII had finnished with his bangle he assisted the engineer.

"You see? Physical statistics are purple and independant. Blue is support, it should be paired with either a green magical or a yellow command and...

"Yeah an summon's ar red. I'm not dumb!" Cid snorted, slotting a Long-range attack purple materia.

Of the 4 of them remaining back in Icicle Inn while the others snowboarded down, he was the only one with a melee weapon. Cloud had found an Adam clip a the same weapon's store he'd missed the first time. It gave RedXIII the ability to sprint and made him lighter on his feet, the big cat-like creature could now pounce larger distances before, so Cid though it a pretty good idea to add that materia to his javelin.

(Elemental)=(Fire), (Bolt)=(W-Item), (Long-Range)

Although not a perfectly good combination, it was descent. Most of the important materia were going with the main core of AVALANCHE anyways. Cloud had their only Counter Strike and Tifa their main Ennemy skill. They took the highest attuned cure they had as well. Vincent slotted the first in his traditional combination, but opted a different combination for the latter slotted and two others. He re-slotted Sense. He picked up his assigned summon.

(Haste)= (Sneak attack), (Counter)= (Manipulate), Sense and Odin.

Cloud had this odd... habit of assigning everyone a summon to grow every week or so. Odin again for him. The Turk internally smirked but outwardly showed very little interest in materia slotting. He just found it fitting that he was responsible for the same materia they found in the safe with the key to his prison. Yuffie was obviously keeping Leviathan, it was hers by default as an heirloom of Wutai.

"Allright gang ShinRa's real spread wide around the whole Hamlet, they won't notice us gone until Rufus arrives mid-day today." Cloud hooked his new Organics sword. It was a cruel looking edged sword in the shape of a harpoon's head, the blade having serated edges. It had the same amount of slots as Vincent's Lariat.

"Wish us luck!" The Ex-Soldier saluted the gang with two fingers from his forehead.

The Trio doned their cloaks and left with their boards safely tucked from view under them. Leaving the rest of AVALANCHE in the commons. Cid was finnishing his tea... While the other members were wondering what they should. No one EVER interrupted Cid's tea-time and so they twiddled their fingers wondering what to do next. On the one side, Yuffie was incredibly nervous, she kept glancing at Vincent once in a while, who seemed as dissinterested in conversation as he was last-night, staring off in the same general direction he had back then through the inn's common window. Luckilly, if her theory on him being a traitor was right, he wouldn't be able to get to Cloud. On the other hand, he didn't seem concerned about informing ShinRa about their blonde leader's departure, which seemed odd if he wasn't on their side. Ugh! A real Conundrum. She tightened her wrist guards while waiting for the pilot to finnish. Both were seated at the table near window nearest the door. RedXIII was generally sphinxing, in the middle of the carpet mid-way the counter of the Inn in the manner of cats. Dozing while seated, his eyes drooping, generally relaxed. It was one of the postures the creature took while thinking.

"So... what now folks?" The pilot finally put down his cup of formerly Earl Grey tea.

Red's lupine face turned to the side, the head ornamentation he wore gracefully flowing within his mane. As much as the creature could anthropomorphically do so, the thing shrugged. "For once, I am at a loss of ideas on how to rejoin our friends on the glacier, by any alternate routes."

The Pilot drew a gloved finger in the elastic holding his aviator glasses in a habbit Vincent had noticed he would do while thinking. The enginner would rub behind one of his ears, usually the one he'd balance a cigarette before smoking, however he'd already had one this morning and so it was missing from the aforementioned ear. Cid's wasn't a reckless chain-smoker. He would indulge in partiular patterns and routines. Although no one in AVALANCHE smoked except for him, he was polite enough not to do so in other's faces. The sandy blonde turned to the younger girl at the opposite end of his table his eyes asking her opinion, while at the same time showing a trepedation of the usefullness of any suggestion comming from the ninja. Cid didn't forgive easy.

"Beats me! I couldn't even find another map of the glacier area. Cloud has the only one we could find. The young shinobi sulked, putting her elbows on the table and proping her head in her hands. So I wouldn't know if there were ways to get there!"

Vincent hadn't torn his gaze from the window. Believing he wasn't paying attention, the pilot cleared his throat coughingly to try and catch it.

"We'll take a ShinRa buggie." The cloaked man instantly answered after the throat-clearing prompt by Cid.

The flaming tail of Cosmo Canyon's guardian thomped onto the ground rather solidly. "I beg your pardon?" RedXIII asked, confused.

The gunman seemed to peel himself away from the window. Taking a few steps towards them and joining in on their brainstorming, he repeated himself using different words.

"We will take a company snow-track car."

Yuffie half-grinned, still slightly uneasy. "You mean steal a snow-buggie..." She stated it rather than as a question.

The raven haired man nodded, a few locks of his hair fell from the bandana, mouth tucked in the lip of his cloak. His eyes then flicked to Cid. He seemed determine this was the best course. The pilot had an intrigued look and had this odd vibe comming from the gunman. It was one of those uneasy feelings you get but can't exactly pinpoint why, but you know you've gotta go with it, even when it makes you feel like you might fall over a ledge. That kind of feeling.

"Whatcha need Vince?"

The gunman's gaze seemed to almost hesitantly slide to the side towards the only female in the room.

"Yuffie."

...'Is he onto me! OMG WHAT IF HE IS! I am so dead!' Yuffie tried not to look like a cat that got caught with it's paw in the cream and failing miserably.

"Good luck kiddo, you just got drafted! we'll be meetin yah in the back cliff edge as soon as you heist that buggy pal!" The gruff pilot pushed himself out of the chair grabbing his javelin and gear and almost nonchalantly motioned Red to follow him. The great lupine creature lifted an eyebrow in question but nonetheless followed Cid oddly confident that the whole plan, however it was executed by Vincent, would work out fine...

The gunman had turned to watch them leave but once they did his whole concentration was on the ninja, who wanted to be anywhere else except in the same room with the Ex-Turk right now. The ruby-eyed marksman seemed to ponder something for a moment then lifted his head out of the mouth of edge of his cape to speak clearly.

"Have you ever killed a man?"

The 16 year old's eyes went wide. "WHAT KIND OF A QUESTION IS THAT!" Then she remembered that there were possibly other tenants around and she quickly pinned her mouth and lay low on the table in half-mortification and half-panic at where this was leading.

"Because that is what you might see me do today. Be quick on your toes or I'll leave you behind."

The cloaked figure turned and supplied no other explanation than that. The shinobi quickly grabbed her winter cloak and gear, secured her Hawkeye and skipped to catch up with him. The atmosphere was even chillier than the cold temperature as soon as they exited the Inn. Walking at a steady pace ahead, Vincent seemed much more distant, yet oddly sharply focused on something. The target of which Yuffie had no idea was and made all the more nervous having read the note she had! Eventually they reached the main road in between a few houses and the weapons' shop. The gunman stopped abruptly and then shifting, leaned with his back on the wall facing outside of the city. The young wutain noble stopped and stood for a moment silent. Waiting for something from him. Knowing fully well he'd stopped exactly where she had thought he had spotted her last night.

"So..."

He cut her. "When Elena turns around the bend, you'll start running. Loose them, loop back and meet me on the main road. I'll have the buggy. You have 2 minutes. If you're not there, then start thinking of a backup plan." Vincent wasn't even facing or addressing her directly and watched the corner of the building.

The amount and rapidity of information with which he gave her instructiosn and the NERVE of telling her what to do... Hit her at once!

"Wow! WHAT?"

The Ex-Turk then straightened and a very subtle movement of his head instinctively made her turn her own. There was Elena, looking straight at her.

Yuffie bolted.

'Screw you Vince and you stupid secretive plan! You Bastard I'll get you for this!'

The ninja dove around the house to the West of them and crazilly enough, Elena bolted after her haullering for backup. The Soldiers at the entrance and 2 others apparently behind her as well all started chasing her. The whole situation was crazy! What was Vincent thinking drawing attention to her like that? Oh and... why the hell would Elena chase her? Briefly checking behind her, she saw the gunman take a second to check around the weapon's shop as Elena was at her heels, he then dove around behind the shop's building where he'd gone last night. Yuffie on the other-hand wove around a lamp post and used some-kind of box to jump straight up to one of the house's roofs. Stupidly (and as she predicted) 1 of the foot Soldiers tried to climb over her but the 2nd was still running wide of the house to try and catch her on the other side. Elena in the mean-time had pulled out her gun and shot wide off, chipping a part of the chimney about 2 meters ahead of the young brunette.

'geez, they really do suck...' The thought flashed in her head when suddenly she heard a few shots in succession which did not seem to be coming from the same direction as her persuers.

Without thinking too much about it, the young kunoichi slid sideways on the other side of the house and landed plumply into a snowpile, which she sunk rather farther in than she'd hoped. Struggling to get out of it, she decided rolling would be her best option, which she did. Just in time, the other soldier that had tried to cut her off, rounded the bend and was barely 3 feet away. Taking aim at almost point blank, he would have certainly put a hole in her if she hadn't instinctively kicked upwards into his mid-rift with all her force. The man staggered backwards, dropping his gun and holding his waist coughing. She had litterally knocked the breath out of him. Picking herself back up, Yuffie ran in the opposite back eastwards and not-totally unexpectidly ran into Elena and her two lackeys. Already, the Hawkeye was in her hands and she was swinging it in a boomerang arc from right to left back to her fowling their aim. she had startingled the less-than-disciplined foot soldiers was easy but now that she was much closer to Elena, the blonde Turk took her time to aim, ignoring the closer-than-comfort swiped of the boomerang slashing an inch off her arm. Yuffie caught the weapon back at the angle, but had no time to dash or dodge.

-BANG-

Yuffie shut her eyes quickly, totally expecting to feel pain...aaaaany moment now?

The loud and unmistakable shake of a vehicle rolling closer snapper her out of her self-imposed blindness and she dared to peek by slitting one of her eyes open. Elena was holding her hand downwards, there were droplets of blood in the snow and she was cursing towards the fastly approaching buggy that was being driven towards the cliff edge with one gaping door rattling and swinging. For a moment, Yuffie caught an odd look crossing the blonde Turk's face before she said to herself 'the heck with this' and turned around.

"See you later alligators! Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk!" Yuffie jumped and bounced in a zig zag path, easilly dodging the semi-automatic weapons those moronic foot soldiers carried. Barely having recuperated from their shock, they hastefully tried to pepper her but failed to even come close to anticipating her next directional shifts and path.

The ninja quickly dove into the security of the buggie. Closing the door as she did, a few bullets ricoched off the metal. She turned towards the driver!

"YOU!"

Her face was red with furry, as Vincent Valentine drove with his left-handclaw. Gun not yet holstered, which actually dropped from his hand as she was thinking of her next retort. Ready to start a verbal tirade, she stopped short noticing he was actually scowling, his teeth clenched tightly in concentration on the road. Baffled, she followed the extended arm and dropped gun and noticed a hole in his sleeve and thin droplets of blood around his Lariat in betwen the seat. Yuffie bit her lip.

"Looks like you came out of it in one piece." The Ex-Turk didn't sound exactly...sarcastic. But when it came to Vincent Valentine, who knew what he meant it to be? Yuffie decided he was just being a jackass and that the wound was obviously superficiel. The Shinobi crossed her arms, puffing up childishly but saying nothing. This whole exchange went rather quickly and Vincent changed the subject.

"Open the side door behind you." The Marksman didn't take his eyes off the route.

The brunette, without questioning furthur, jumped from the passenger seat to the back side of the buggy and slid the door. The snow-mobile was as big as truck and had ample space in the back for about 6 other people along with a driver and passenger. Peering out and forward she instantly saw the other members of AVALANCHE waiting at the rendez-vous point. Ahead by only few dozen meters or so. She dodged out of the way as Red and Cid dove rather ungracefully into the snow-mobile as it went by them at a reasonable speed. A few seconds later, she felt the whole vehicle lurch and angle diagonally by a few degrees as they were going down the cliff. Although not exactly at a particularly crazy fast speed, it was enough to make any person uncomfortable. The whole buggie lurched uncomfortably to the right before being wrestled back in control.

"Cid!" Vincent's calling out of the pilot's name came with a sense of urgency.

The gruff sandy-blond did his best to maneuver to the front. As soon as he peeked his head near the drive, the raven-haired man told him to take the wheel. Cid didn't have to be told twice as soon as he saw that the red cloaked man was injured on his gunarm. The Ex-Turk shuffled ungracefully within the snowmobile's back cabin with the ninja and great cat trying not to jostle too much. The buggie lurched as it was passed from one driver to the next, but once it was in the expert hands of the pilot, it eased into a more stable drive than when it had been under the control of a single clawed hand.

"Well! That went rather well! Even though I still think you're a stupid JERK!"

Yuffie sat herself more comfortably on the floor of the stolen snow-mobile, so did RedXIII who, reserving any comment looked rather worried about Vincent but was holding his tongue. It was just too obvious by now that the Ex-Turk operated alone, did not wish to impose or be imposed either rules or forced to accept benevolance or debts from others, even his friends. One thing still wasn't clear though...

"Ok, since, I get it that you know I was following you last night, you're going to have to explain yourself mister!"

"You followed him in the dead middle of the night?" Cosmo Canyon's guardian did not know if he was more shocked at the lack of trust from Yuffie or than of the actual breach of Vincent's privacy. Which the man seemed to cherrish incredibly. Both were was bad.

"Oh this should be plenty interestin!" Cid hollered from the front. Already all of them could feel a slight breeze from a window being cracked open and the man had lit a victory cigarette. "You just all keep talkin... I wanna hear were this whole #$%!# thing goes!" Chuckling the pilot drove on.

Meanwhile, Vincent had had the time to removed his glove and find a first aid kit under the passenger side and proceeded to lift his sleeve. Before un-zipping the kit he lifted his gaze to the ninja for a moment. Indicating he was thinking of what he was about to respond, that he would but to keep silence for just a few more moments. UGH! This infuriated the younger shinobi, who's patience was equivalent to a 16 year old teenager (which she was) and she huffed frustratingly whining incoherently and scratching her head.

"I was gathering information last night." The Ex-Turk started monotonously as he first cleaned and inspected the wound.

Yuffie snapped out of her tantruming. "Well dhu!"

The gunman's red gaze focused a moment catching her own. They looked intense and expressive, almost as if saying without words: 'Just shut up and I'll tell you' without actually verbalising. Vincent was good at doing that. Despite the fact that he himself wasn't emotive in his facial expressions, as time went by all of them were starting to clue in on his stares and silences. They gave more information than any of them could the same way. RedXIII watched and listened.

"If the Turks were here. It is usually on advance orders." The marksman tightened a noose behind the bullet wound to keep bleeding at a minimum while he cleaned a bit furthur. He then carefully reached behind his back with his claw and angling himself a bit tugged out a brown envelope from between his belt and jacket, sliding them towards the shinobi.

"Those where the papers you took..." She reached into the enveloppe and found documents about each and every one of them. Marked clearly on some of them were a priority red tag. They detailed priority in apprehending for either questioning or charges of terrorism and what to expect as abilities. Each of them were there, except... well... Vincent.

"So..." Yuffie started, after taking a few moments of reading "What were the ones you burnt?"

RedXIII stiffened a bit. Yes... that was a good question. If what the ninja had seen him do was true, why show them these papers and not the others. Yuffie knew very clearly what a piece of those papers said. This was the ultimate test... was Vincent Valentine an ally or ennemy?

While she had been perusing the files, the gunman had cleaned and sterilized his golden claw, carefully positioned the thumb and forefinger in the gap of his wound, his eyes tensed for a moment in obvious pain, yet without a grunt, extricated a bullet. The two other members cringed and Yuffie had gone back to concentrating on the papers for a moment to look away from him tending the wound furthur. They waited for his answer still, knowing that prying the Ex-Turk, would never yield to a faster answer. They didn't wait too long. Momentarilly after extricating the bullet he answered.

"Those were additional sealed orders to make contact with me and offer full re-instatement with the Turks." He bandaged the wound. While he did he continued. "Additionally, to have me take assassinate Cloud Strife. Otherwise to do it themselves in the case of my actual refusal within the next 2 days. I thought it best Cloud not know that I was to be specifically contacted to make an attempt on his life..."

The brunette's mouth made an 'Oh' but no sound came out of it. Red seemed to relax with his head on top of his forepaws and the great beast sighed in relief.

"Sooo what'cha do after getting the orders? You didn't come back right after..." Yuffie was aware that she was grabbing for something to sort of justify in her own mind her spying.

Vincent answered rather quickly. "I... contacted Elena, informing her outright that this was unacceptable. I have now officially terminated my employment, permanently. Also,I made a deal with the woman in exchange for her life..."

Finnishing the last patching-ups of his arms. Vincent lowered his sleeve and then picked back his gun which he had left between the drivers and passenger seat.

"..." He was in the process of cleaning it when he paused mid-stroke of a tissue-swipe. "... leave less guards around the buggy and I would relieve her of it. Fortunatly, Turks keep their words as they always have in the past."

RedXIII's ears flickered and he excitedly interupted the gunman. "That way, she doesn't loose too much face with ShinRA. Especially with the embarassing issue of an infultration and the stealing of classified information! We furthermore get a means of transportation down into the glacier!" The cat's tail swooshed happilly. "Brilliant!"

Vincent nodded, yet didn't share their enthusiasm. Although his eyes did seem to brighten with some sort of self-satisfaction, it was short lived before they dulled again to their normal lackluster.

"Well... ok... so that explains the sneaking, the burning thing... but WHY'D you have to be such a JERK!" Yuffie dropped the files and pointed an accusing finger at the gunman.

Cid laughed at the wheel and RedXIII simply grunted in exasperation.

"You made me run around like crazy without telling me what you where planning! You almost gave me a heart attack!" Huffing, the 16 year old braced her two arms on her hips and puffed up in obviously fake-irritation.

"Boredom mostly..."

WHAT? RedXIII and Yuffie's jaws dropped.

The buggie lurched suddenly and Cid guffawed uncontrollably.

o0o0o

**Author's notes:**

YAY! Another chapter done! Hopefully Vincent is not too OC except on that last phrase, which was done on purpose! (Come-on he has his moments also! The phone thing for example...)

By the way: Can you just picture Elena sleeping, an angry Vincent Valentine angrilly throwing back his employment with the Turks at her (after she'd read his file... because obviously he burnt that one too).


	14. The way to Slide

**Chapter 14: The way to slide.**

* * *

o0o

Cid had finally gotten back in control of the buggie after having laughed so hard his stomach hurt. The rest of the ride went practically without a word passing between the members. None of them were stupid enough to break the tentative silent moment that Yuffie's was having. She sulked in a corner.

The snow-mobile made steady progress in the 30-40 degree slopes without loosing grip on the snow and in certain places, ice. Vincent hadn't deemed to stitch the wound he'd received, opting for butterfly adhesive stitches and wrapping the wound that was just above his elbow. They needed to manage their inner Mp reserves for whatever they would encounter down in the glacier area and to find their fellow AVALANCHE members.

It stood to reason that the creatures living in the area would be adapted to the cold and be vulnerable to fire. So all of them had some sort of fire spell. RedXIII was responsible for Ifrit this week and Cid already had his weapon powered elementally with Fire.

"Hold on to your britches! We've got a steeper incline commin up and um...Yup, definitly hold on to them! I cant' stop in time without flippin us the ?%$# over. $%#!"

The Pilot's fair warning was heeded and everyone grabbed something solidly. Most of them had buckled in after taking care of wounds and business... but RedXIII was not fortunate enough to have a humanoid body. The great Beast dug it's claws deeply into the passenger's seat and had the first view of the plunge... The snowmobile seemed to lift and defy gravity a moment. Cid letting out a steady stream of curses but he held firmly onto the controls. Defying the instinctual reaction of closing his eyes, the engineer had control of the vehicle when it landed back onto the snowy ground. The lurch of a whole 5 tonne vehicle would forward onto the forward ski blades swerving roughly broke the steering pinion mechanism.

"Hang on!"

The pilot knew that the wheel he was holding was now completely useless. The moment he had felt and heard underneath him the shearing sound of metal teeth on that particular important part he quickly, reversed the back left track and sped the right one in an attempt to get the vehicle to straighten in it's forward speeding. The whole buggie lurched!

Yuffie, understandibly was screaming and RedXIII looked like a cat behing held over water. While he didn't say a word, Vincent was obviously tense as well, but Cid Highwind didn't have the time to notice all this as he then pushed both gears backwards once he got the snowmobile in a straight enough position. The whole vehicle lurched and the front seemed to rattle violently before it finally wouldn't take the corrected course well enough with the front skying track rattling and it decided to go right again and flip over.

Thankfully, they had slowed down enough that it only careened onto it's side and then slid like that the rest of the way... Cid shut down the motor, to prevent the track to move them furthur or loosen snow around the snowtrack-car.

"!#$%%?3 , stupid piece of #%! who put in the !$& thing with grade B steel steering pinions is a complete idjiot piece of $?* moron!"

Cid's littany fell on deaf ears as the whole situation had made everyone's ears ring and hearts beat out of their chests. Especially when the lurching metal car had careened on his side. RedXIII was panting and eventually they heard a large tearing sound as the creature's claws retracted from the back passenger seat once the whole thing had stopped

"Well..." the creature maneuvered over Cid awkwardly, who's body and head were leaning on the blocked driver's side window and trying to sit up again. "We are uninjured and in one piece, thankfully."

"AAAAAAARGH!" Yuffie exasperatedly breathed out with a frustrated huff.

Quickly, she stood up on the left side door, reached to what was now the ceiling and slid the right door open. A gush of wind greeted them into their new environment. The Ice glacier... ahead was Gaea's cliffs. She picked up her cloak and gear and without furthur ado, jumped out of the vehicle. Still pumping with adrenaline, they could hear her run in place to get rid of the extra energy.

"Ok so we're here! No avalanches now please... except those that are actual people!"

The young Shinobi wasn't addressing them, but the whole world it seemed, before she bent over the door and poked her head through.

"Ok... so what now?"

The gunman looked up at her with a rare expression of annoyance, his eyes indicating a scowl might be gracing his lips if they weren't hidden under his cloak. He picked up his own gear and the 1st aid kit... which seemed a good idea. He threw the supplies over next to her and jumped out, his clawed hand helping him to find purchase on the metallic edges of the door. RedXIII didn't seem to have any problems jumping out, but couldn't put his own rucksack on his back. Cid was handed him his pack and the red furred creature pulled the rest with his mouth through the door. The pilot then pushed his own backpack upand last but not least his Javelin before climbing out, halway and seating himself on the edges of the opened door.

The glacier and what seemed to be the large mountain called Gaea's cliff up-ahead was impressive to say the least. Rock and snow as far as the eyes could see with a few bits of forest here and there with the spine of the world up ahead. The wind was horrible and both Yuffie's winter cape and Vincent's where fluttering wildly. Cid lowered his goggles onto his eyes and grabbed his own winter cloak.

"Well, they'll all be headin for shelter. Cause there's now way in blazes they'll make it to the edge of that mountain before nightfall."

The gruff engineer wiped the edges of his face of sweat a bit, dabbing out the moisture with his scarf. The intense moment passed of controlling the buggie having made him work up a lupine creature moved next to the pilot and focused with his only good eye, the cold didn't seem to disturb him and his flaming tail actually did seem to radiate heat, now that they were all in an artic temperature setting.

"I agree, we should find shelter up ahead. We would run a better chance at finding signs of their presence in the forest up ahead."

The gunman padded to the edge of the snowtrack car and without furthur thought jumped down... and sunk about a foot into the snow. Yuffie burst out laughing.

"Yeah... HAHAH. I think that's gonna be a problem!" The ninja obviously stated as she continued to giggle.

The Ex-Turk looked slightly displeased that she was laughing at his expense. His eyes lowered into small slits but turned back to lift a leg tentatively to see how the snow gave under his weight. Observing the effects amidst trying to come up with a solution to it. The big cat slid down a side of the car to the snow and didn't seem to as badly sinking. On the other-hand, he was the only one out of them who was a quadruped with his weight spread out more evenly large paws. The creature walked slowly in the snow, still sinking but not as deeply.

"Perhaps we could create snowshoes with the remains of the buggie?"

The pilot's feet banged on the side of the vehicle. The ringing sounded like a positive response. "I'll get on that! Should take 'bout a dozen minutes a pair. Ifn' ya'll want to gimme a hand strippin these damn parts, should take less."

After helping pull Vincent out of the snow, the group started stripping panels, the seat belts and pocket meshes out from the buggie to create makeshift snowshoes. While they were working, RedXIII feeling useless without opposable thumbs padded around and scouted ahead. Searching for a smells or a clues at where the other members of AVALANCHE might have passed. The wind was horribly strong though. All physical traces of them if they had been in the area would have been blown away within the last half hour. Finding nothing after a while he returned to the buggie to find each of his comrades wearing a pair of rudimentary goofy snowshoes Which at least served the purpase of keeping them from sinking. Nanaki shook to himself and thought about how quadrupeds where at a disadvantage in some areas, even though he himself didn't have opposable thumbs. The pilot had a bag full of bits and pieces of machinery which the great cat-creature wasn't sure was all about. The leonin face approached the bag and sniffed it. His eyebrow lifted up at the sandy blonde.

"Hey! Them transistors are s'pensive. Platinum an'all! Might as well steal something outta ShinRa for all'this."

The young kunoichi punched the pilot's shoulder affectionatly. "Now that's they way to think pops!"

"Dontch'a go comparin takin from ShinRa with stealin from needy people, you klepto!"

And then the bickering starts...

RedXIII sighed as they argued but started walking ahead wich Vincent had already proceeded to do. Not waiting any longer than necessary at the crash site. If they dallied any longer the company would catch up to them. The pilot and ninja continued to argue... but while walking. Which was much more preferrable to staying and took their minds off of the incredibly cold temperature.

o0o

It took them an hour to get to the patchy piece of forest area they had seen up ahead. Even with snowshoes, trudging through the snow was still incredibly slow. As they entered the boreal pine collection of trees. Giants of 50 to 60 meters tall, the snow became more packed and easier to walk through. Cosmo Canyon's guardian was practically freely mobile. Loping ahead of them scouting sniffing as a dog would, searching for signs of their comrades. The lupine creature's head snapped up and all of them knew he'd seen or sensed something, though they weren't sure if it was good or bad.

Vincent placed his injured arm's hand to his belt, unclipping his gun holster as a precaution. The Ninja and Pilot made their own weapon more readily accessible.

"I think I found something! A moment if you would..." Nanaki sniffed at the base of a tree then at one of it's branches. "There..."

No one could see what the beast was talking about and they all shambled closer. The red furred member of their group lifted a clawed paw, effectively pointing at a long strand of brown hair, which could only have belonged to Tifa.

"They went in this direction." The cat-thing indicated with his head. North-Est. "There seem to be a few broken branches angling towards that area which I think might be Barret or Cloud."

"Good job rover!"

The quadruped growled and his ears flattened at the moniker. "I'm no dog Highwind!"

"S'ry"

The pilot seemed taken aback a moment. Still being the newest in the group, shy of Vincent by a few days, he still wasn't familiar enough with the intelligent beast to joke with him it seemed. He looked at the other members of his group for any indication he'd made a particularly major faux paw. The Ninja shrugged but didn't seem to awkward about the whole thing. She shuffled up to catch up to RedXIII who was already on the move after Cid's apology. Vincent seemed not to care, but caught the pilot's gaze and nod his head up towards the others.

"Let's move on."

The pilot shrugged, adjusted the goggles on his eyes, then grabbed his spear solidly and pulled out mid-day cigarette. Well, they were making progress at least!

o0o

The forest seemed to open and stop up ahead. Now they could see feint traces of tracks in the snow. It was only a few inches deep here. The layout of the area suggested they were on a coast line of some sorts, up ahead and to the west as they came out into a clearing was a thick ice as far as the eye could see. Since the snow was so thin, the wind did not blow loose white dust as fast onto the tracks and they seemed to stretch ahead onto the lake. Indicating that the others weren't too far ahead of them now! Removing their snowshoes, the small group of 4 peered and squinted through the glare of the snow in the afternoon sun and wind and could actually distinguish figures up ahead.

"HEEEEEEEEEEEY!" Yuffie yelled out, trying to catch their attention.

Tifa, Cloud and Barret where so far ahead they may not have noticed... however other denizens of the forest had.

"?%*# !" An exclamation of painfully sworn words and rabid guttural growling suddenly sprouted behind them.

Cid always took the rear... well this time he came to regret it. Something had apparently swooped from it's perch down from one of the tree and attacked the pilot. The blow of its claws to his back had pushed him over and he'd both fallen and instinctively rolled onto his back, spear in hand to meet whatever it was attacking him. A rather large mosquito looking lizard dragon spread it's wings to stay in mid flight, it's claws still poised to strike down onto it's prey. 2 other swooped down from the sides behind it, intending to gang up on the sandy blonde, who was now laying with his back in the snow.

-BANG-

Vincent's gun had been uphosltered, trained and aimed onto one of the creatures and the thing lurched, injured from the side. A yellow hue envelloped the gunman who was already hasted due to his chosen combination of materia.

" Get the *!%?' off! " The pilot kicked out at the creature.

Screeching oddly insectoid-like the creatures tail darted at his face. Cid dodged out of the way in time, the thing sunk a stinger in the ground.

"Those are Lessaloploths! Careful! They are venomous!" RedXIII yelled out, charging up to join the frey.

"No shit!" His spear angled properly finally, the dragoon thrust up at the odd-looking dragon and was able to hit it in between the web of it's wing and body. Though it wasn't a lethal wound, the creature backed away slightly. Flying up higher to gain altitude.

The two other creatures, one injued in the leg, were both attracted at the sound of the gunman's fire arm and delved towards the obvious red target in the snowy bank of the lake. the uninjured creature dove wings first, the wicked claws on the edges of it's flying appendages unfurled to cut at him. The gunman dove and then countered, his gun gave off another magical hue as he focused MP onto the manipulate materia within it. Unfortunatly, the paired materia did not work to control the creature mind, it was still too strong. However for the brief moment of paralysis while the magic tried to hold it, it careened and barreled into the ground mid-flight and injured itself in the fall. Taking a moment to shake it's confusion it tried to take off again but not before Yuffie took a good hit at it.

The Hawkeye bit into it's tail, creating a lethal cut. The thing shrieked and it's companion dove after the Ninja in the same manner as as the other had Vincent. Barreling straight into the young shinobi, Yuffie cursed as it cut through her winter cloak and injured her leg. RedXIII meanwhile had finally reached the pilot, who was back on his feet and watching carefully at the movements at the small dragon looped around again.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" The high-pitched screech was enough to cause a headache, but it's intentions where elsewhere. All of the trees surrounding the 2 allies shook from the boom of noise it had made and the snow ladden over months of winterfall came crashing down into a miniature version of an Avalanche!

RedXIII's hackles rose and he spread himself on all 4s in preperation for the onslought of snow... those where BIG trees! The two where burried and pushed, barrelling by the torrent of of a few tons of snow but not enough to be completely crushed. The wind was knocked out of them and they struggled to get various limbs out of the tightly packed white fluff.

-BANG-

Vincent killed the creature he'd chosen to focus one, the one he'd tried to manipulate was already fairly injured from the other 2 shots he'd taken and the plumett in an attempt to control it with the Manipulate materia. It fell with a resounding plunk into the snow, dead or dying. Turning he saw Yuffie preparing herself for another pass of the creature who's tail lashed out and buried itself in her cloak... hopefully missing. The gunman couldn't tell. Turning to see what was going on with his other allies, he noticed them burried in a rather large pile of snow. His gaze slid North-ward for a brief moment and his heart lifted in relief. Cloud, Tifa and Barret where running full tilt to assist them, having heard his gunshot. Which meant that unless Yuffie was totally inept (which he knew by now she wasn't) they would reach her in a few moment. Taking a critical decision, gunman lept with long strides to assist his buried friends near the forest lines, he aimed again and shot at it... missing.

"Tssshhh" He spat a rare unsatisfied sound as he opened his Lariat to reload quickly.

The great cat had finally clawed it's way out of the snow and turning towards his foe, releasing a fire-magic materia spell squarely at the thing. The creature, set ablaze, shrieked again but in pain. It's wing's membrane being eaten by the fire, it plummeted to the ground like an injured bird. Crawling like the insect it already looked like, trying to get back into the cover the trees. Vincent ended it's misery. Vincent heard the sound of a semi-auto going off behind him, Barrett's without question. The rest of the group seemed to have taken down the other, if the sounds of the unique fire-arm no longer resounding was any indication. Slowing down to a fast walk. The gunman clicked the safety back on and holstered the weapon. Reaching out with his right arm he offered purchase for Cid to pull himself out.

Without thinking the pilot grabbed ahold of it and pulling strongly, yanked himself out...

"WOAH buddy! Sorry, forgot about your arm..." The rocket engineer seemed genuinely worried until he noticed Vincent hadn't cringed or shown any discomfort. "Y'all right?"

The red-cloaked man's expression remained as unconcerned as he could, but how to answer the pilot without arousing suspiscion from everyone about himself again? He simply nodded calmly. The wound had actually closed back up and scabbed over in a matter of hours. Impossible for a normal human body to self-heal that fast.

"Jus as long as I aint opened that wound again! Thanks Vince." The sandy blonde left it at that and went to inspect the corpse with RedXIII. He'd apparently never seen a Lessaloploth before.

Vincent sighed, not exaclty relieved, slightly annoyed at himself for having missed the shot at the creature. Not He might have spared the use of MP by Red. He went back onto the froze lake to check up on the other team mates. Yuffie didn't seem to have been poisoned, the cloak had fouled the creature's aim but Tifa was patching up some claw wounds.

"Well... you guys sure didn't waste that much time getting down to join us." Cloud smiled.

"Yeah and it's all thanks to stupid Jerk here!"

The blonde swordsman mouthed 'stupid Jerk' in confusion towards the other man in question. Yuffie glaringly pointed out clearly that she meant Vincent. The blue eyed enhanced man lifted an eyebrow. Vincent's eyes betrayed his exasperation slightly, otherwise he said nothing. This still made the blonde laugh as well as of them gathered together getting each other up to speed in their adventures. Cloud laughing again at the bit of Vincent drafting Yuffie. Finally understanding her temporary grudge of the gunman.

According to their map, her told them, there was a cave-island up ahead in the middle of the lake. It was used as a way-station for expeditions in the ice glacier apparently. Cloud, Tifa and Barrett had been heading there to camp the night out. All of AVALANCHE thought it was a pretty good idea. Especially since it was way past mid afternoon and dreadfully cold. It would take an hour or so to get there. Picking up everything and making sure everything was accounted for they started the trek.

o0o

The sun dipped behind the mountain as they were nearing the large rock mound and twilight was well in place. It was hard to see at this point and the cold was bitting through the cloaks unmercilessly. Everyone couldn't wait to get to the small way-point and start a fire. Whistling to try and distract himself from the cold, Cid kept them entertained with small fanciful stories accompanied with sing-along whistling games. Most of these stories where about some drinking adventure (unsurprisingly). There seemed to be a storm comming in but for the moment it was gently snowing, the wind steadilly strengthened and whistled to the point that they no longer could hear Cid quite clearly.

Vincent turned and looked behind them, so did RedXIII a split second afterwards. The group, half numb with cold did not immedietly notice their reaction. They were being persued...

o0o

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**Author's notes: (2013)**

I just corrected alot of obvious typos.

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Review-answers:

**JiLLiBeanz**: Totally writting some more! Also, totally going to keep you up at night with 'Learning to meet Halfway' which I will update after I'm done with this fic.

**3 akuma 3: **Thanks I spend a few hours in my day planning ahead. Glad to know it's appreciated!

**FreezingCold:** Got your PM, thanks for following this fic! I appreciate the pepping up! It makes me smile! :D


	15. Tough decisions

**Learning to meet halfway**

**Chapter 15 : Tough decisions**

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**Monthly plans (January)**

Current muse haunting me: (The gamer one)

Hey I decided to see if people follow me on and sort of update my profile once a month as well as each (End of current chapter) of each of my month I have a convention to plan cosplay for, so I have been busily sewing a costume for it. On and off I have been working on 2 chapters. Whichever catches my fancy and for how long it keeps me intertained before moving onto other projects (which I have many). So here goes: Generally... I am in a Final fantasy 7 /Vincent Valentine (centric) phase. However, I like to think that I involve alot of the other characters in a much more supportive manner than focusing singularilly on him. You may have also noticed that I have alot of M-rated fics here. Maybe I should try and write some more tame rated ones...

**(FF7) Leap of faith**: Although this is done. I am currently obsessed with the Strifentine pairing. I don't want to remove it from 'complete'-status but wondered if anyone was interested in a sequel on this with an epic saga of somekind involving the two?

**(FF7)Learning to meet Halfway: **Finally the **(M)** rating has caught onto it, however I think that some of the gruesome wounds and some other things warranted the rating itself. It is definitely on my big top to-complete list. However this particular upcoming chapter is not tickling my muse... I'm blocked at how Yuffie would react at her 'almost-rape' and also the news her father is organising traditional/technical 'blind-dates'. Include Vincent in the mix and its become kinda wierd. So I've shifted to my OC a bit. Maybe I can kick something back into gear.

**(FF7) Touched by a flower:** Has recently re-caught my attention for some odd reason. Maybe its because I've been replaying some of the original game. However I'm about like... 3 chapters to the intended end of this story and I am wondering if I should just push out the creativity on it and to get it to COMPLETE status. What do you think?

**(Tyrant falls in love) Cooking love in a petridish:** This is on hold until my interest gravitate back to it. Who knows? After the conventions I'm going to at the end of the month maybe I'll be more inclined to finnish it. I was only intending it to have just a few more chapters. Enough for Suuichi to finally (in public) admit he loves Morinaga and for him to top ONCE!

**(Soul eater) The hundred year step:** I only have maybe 1 or 2 chapters left for it... but I am completely out of SoulEater in my mind currently. Same thing with Tyrant falls in love. I am awaiting a bite from the anime muse currently she is being bullied by my game-muse.

**(SG:U) Circles around the question:** I have absolutely no idea if I'm going to be continuing this or not. I'll give it a few months before I remove it if I can't find the inspiration to pursue it.

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Fanart:

I am actually an accomplished artist and have been recreating scenes of my fic for my own enjoyment. Was anyone interested in seeing more of it in links and other things in my profile?

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o0o

Vincent couldn't remember exactly how he'd gotten here. The events of the last few minutes was a complete blur. He lifted his leg with great difficulty thrusting a heavy booted foot out and then forward. His knees buckled, stiff from cold.

The thin amount of snow was latching onto the damp leather of his soles. His boots were half filled with chilling water, which didn't help with walking either. Vincent shivered unctrollably, his torn cloths and water ladden cape offeredno protection against the glacial wind. His face hurt and stung and he could hardly move any muscles in it, not even to scowl. He had to... keep moving. Simply to survive. He knew that basic survival in cold weather at least.

Only bits and pieces of his memory briefly flashed as he tried to remember. His mind sluggish. Processing through the onset of hypothermia. He stumbled, not for the first time, falling onto his right knee. His metal claw thrust forward, agile, unaffected by the temperature. Breathing hevilly, the air he exhaled from his lungs creates large clouds of congealed vapour.

It hurt to breath in the bracing frigid air. His hair crinkled as it fell forward in fron of his view in defeat. Some of it already stiff and half froze. Matted and stuch to his bandana. His head spun and he stopped shivering very suddenly...

To his knowledge that was not a a good sign.

Vincent tried standing back up again, but his legs were so numb that he slipped back down furthur, catching himself with both his forearms awkwardly. He blinked, ruby eyes re-focusing from a brief dizzy blurr.

In front of his downward case gaze was growing a single delicate pale flower...

'A flower ?' His numbed mind processed slowly, processing probabilty of flowers growing on a glacier's edge.

'You can't give up Valentine... you promised me you would look after him.'

The haunting echo of a woman's voice echoed. He couldn't remember who'd it belonged to. The gunman lifted his head with great effort, trying to focus on what lay ahead in the dead of night. A lazy trail of smoke seemed to rise from the ground ahead of a ridge... was it fire? Instinctively the Ex-Turk inhaled.

'Sulfur' was the smell that graxed his senses. Bringing up 2 automatic associations in his mind: Gunpowder and hotsprings.

Vincent struggled to stand upwight with renewed determination. Bits of ice chipped of his claw and his half torn shirt crinkled audibly. The tall lanky sniper stumbled almost as if drunk towards the source vapour. His footing as unsure as a child's. Vision swimming increasily and his eyes teared in exhertion. Remaining conscious despite everything.

A rock loosened under his foot and he stumbled, this time head over heels and slipped down what seemed to be a slight incline. Sliding down until comming to a stop, his leg submerged in hot water... which was the only thing he could tell before his vision darkened around the edges and the world faded once again... but he felt warm at last.

o0o

The pilot angrilly thrust the butt of his spear down on the groud. The metal shaft made a resounding clang in the cave.

"Ya should'a gone after him Spike!" Cid barked, his southern drawl heavy.

The younger blonde threw the metal tent pike he'd been using to coax the fire into it, causing sparks and embers to fall out of the stone hearth.

"You know we can't deal with him when he gets like that!" The swordsman protested. "Besides, you and Tifa were going to die from exposer, I had choice to make. You were my first priorities!"

True enough. Cid was actualy protesting from the ground, his mid waist wrapped in a sleeping bag and his hair still damp and wet, shivering slightly. Tifa was spread nearest the fire, Yuffie keeping close by. Much worse than the pilot, the brunette martial artist still shivered however listened attentively from her spot.

"An you know damn $%! well man! That the vamp passes out most o'tha time after those fits! The black gunarmed man piped in. "Hell! The man might well be on his way ta dyin from exposure already!"

"I'll go..."Red XIII volunteered fully seeming ready to leave the comforts of the cave and brave the blizzard.

"Now hold on!" The Ex-Soldier exclaimed "You can't go out there! Not in this weather and not with that damn ice bridge broken to smithereens. It took all of us to get everyone across in the first place!"

"..." The russet furred creature was torn.

All of them were.

"If he hadn't turned into the Galian, we might'of been able to help him. But he went chasing after those damn things and nothing is gonna change the fact that he's out of reach by now."

The members of AVALANCHE, with relunctant heavy hearts all had to agree.

o0o

RedXIII settled for the night next to Tifa to help her regain body heat. Yuffie was cooking, which could only end up baddly. The little Shinobi had no talent for the culinary arts. Both the pilot and martial artist had to regain core temperature. No one could ruin soup! They hoped...

The one eyed beast's gaze fell upon their torn leader, Cloud. The young blonde looked troublingly outside at the blizzard as it raged.

No one said being a leader was easy. Sometimes, tough choices had to be made. The young swordsman was practically the junior of the party (if it weren't for Yuffie's presence). Such a heavy responsiblity fell onto his shoulders simply because of the man's knowledge of ShinRa, operations and his personal driven vendetta against that madman, Sephiroth!

Cosmo Canyon's guardian reminisces about the pivitol moment which had caused such tention between the members of AVALANCHE. It had only been moments ago that they had been in view of the cavern island marked in the middle of the lake on the map.

The wind had suddenly picked up, weather turning uggly in a matter of a few minutes! To add to their streak of bad luck, they had been followed from the mountains by a type of bandersnatch known as 'Winter Wolves'. The beasts where incredibly tough. It took all of them to fight just one and it had only been a scout. A single individual wolf. Th erest had then started circling and congregating in the manner which wolves used to hunt. They had tried to get to the more defensable cave when Tifa had suddenly screamed going through an area of thin ice on the Lake.

The first to react to her screams had been the Pilot!

He'd bravely dunk his forearms and his head into the glacially cold water. Sliding stomach first on the ice to get to the hole so as not to break it furth. Expertly throwing his spear down to wrap and bend a leg abehind him to keep his purchase on the slippery surface. Cid had been able to hold her despite the cold shock bitting at both of them. Cid didn't have the strength to pull her out and away as the cold quickly paralyzed his muscles and RedXIII, Barret and Cloud were hard pressed to keep the wolves off of them . They were still not able to stop a few individuals from beaking through. Intelligent creatures like Bandersnatches, knew to take advantage of weakened individuals. They made their way to the two soaked and indisposed members.

Just as he had with a bandersnatch attacking Yuffie, the Gunman had to resort to his claws and apparently enhanced physical strength in melee so as not to run the chance of accidentally shooting his comrades in arms. Barrelling into one, he himself fell half into the lake as he made his way to help Cid pull Tifa out. He was able to dispose of one Winter wolf as the thing plummetted straight forward at him and then slid up through a large piece of the ice that had broken.

A large piece of iceberg flipped back into place and cut it's access back to the surface. It would most certainly drown... A second creature, ignoring the two other members, went after the prone gunman. Biting into his caped shoulder and dragging him back onto the more stable surface of the lake to maul and tear at him. He painfully yelled at it, as the thing shook him by his upper arm, thankfully bitting a piece of his claw and not causing as much damage as it could have. Barret finally broke from Cloud and Red's formation protective barrier formation and managed to pull the pilot and Tifa out of the water. He was too far to help Vincent though.

Yuffie Kisaragi to the rescue!

The Ninja struck the Winter wolf squarely in it's flank. The Shinobi wasn't sure if all the blood which sprayed onto the white snow was its' or Vincents! Her heart froze over in fear for the gunman's life. The Bandersnatch grunted and then reclamped its jaw higher on the man's shoulder.

The strangled cries of pain from the red-cloaked man suddenly took on a more chilling quality. His legs, which had been kicking outwards at the creature, suddenly cracked and then bent backwards. A familiar large black miasm sprouted around Vincent.

"RAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaa!"

The large booming and throaty roar that came from the gunman which seemed to startle the Winterwolf. Suddenly growing claws on his other limbs, what-had-been-vincent was able to prop the bent limbs at an angle and rake the Winterwolf's underbelly. It paingully yet relunctantly let go. Blood seeped from multiple wounds and it limped. Retrating to rejoin the main pack.

Half within his transformed state, Galian started to heal some of the injuries the Ex-Turk had sustrained. However, the shoulder still sported nasty gashes from the grasping maw of the Bandersnatch and it screamed it's pain and rage at the winterwolves. It's transformation progressing, the behemoth wolf-like creature doubled over a moment and grew in size and bulk, its horns sprouting and its claws forming it firmly dug all 4 legs into the icy snow and bolted after the wolf that had specifically injured it. Its target shuffled in vain away, leaving tracks of blood droplets on the snow as it fled.

The Galian sucked it's breath in audibly, and suddenly a great wall of flame spewed forth from it's gaping jaw! Starting everyone from AVALANCHE fighting. Instantly the 4 remaining winter wolves, turned tail. Faced now with the option of engaging an enraged hellfire breathing beast they fled. The prey was not worth it. The Galian careened towards them at full speed whilst still belching tongues of fire hiccuping roars. The behemoth-like creature loped after them, still dripping wet from Vincent's half-dunk in the ice. Barking angrilly at it's fleeing prey it quickly out-distanced the members of AVALANCHE in the roilling winds and snow of the blizzard.

"VINCENT! Don't go after them! Valentine!" The red-furred beast called out in vain.

They could only make out a shadows and the glow or red fire as Galian austensibly breathed fire. Its roars of anger, the yelping screeches of Winterwolves, all of these fainted in the distance.

Cloud had made the decision to fall back to help Tifa and Cid, whilst RedXIII, torn keenly whimpered. They made a hurried trek towards the island ranger-station.

o0o

Waking up lethargically was the last thing Vincent thought he'd be doing right about now...

He fully expected to have died. This couldn't be the afterlife? Could it?

He stared up at a wooden timber log structure, listening to the crack of a fire nearby and drew a steady breath. The smell of the pine structure he was currently roofed under permeated the place. So was the smell of another human being he wasn't too familiar with. The gunman closed his blood-red eyes and listened concerned that his senses were as sharp as they were. They hadn't been so attuned before Hojos modification. As he adventured with AVALANCHE it seemed he was still discovering things about his own body. His pasty mouth indicated he'd probably transformed somehow in the battle... he remembered the wolves now. He was always thirsty after his odd fitts. The sounds comming from the lower level indicated he was on the 1st level of the structure. He could hear the shuffling and going-on of the one who'd most likeliness collected him from certain death over his head.

Slowly, Vincent sat back upright... mortifyingly realising he'd been stripped bear! Well... the alternative had been freezing to death. He supposed he'd have to swallow his pride at another human being witnessing his punishment for failing his beloved. The covers were pelts and furs from various animals and the Ex-Turk wondered who could be living here for so long and survived all manner of creatures such as the Winter wolves?

Turning on the floor cot and drew a knee up to sit more easilly the gunman looked around. Slightly dizzy, he placed his formerly gloved hand on his forehead. His bandana was gone as well...

"You awake?" It was the voice of man, perhaps an older one by the timber and pitch.

"Hmm..." Vincent responded in the affirmative.

o0o


	16. Frigid voices

**Chapter 16: Frigid voices**

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**Author's notes:**

_**Again, I apologize to all those who follow this story for the long time between updates.**_

_**Especially since this chapter is a fairly short chapter, compared to the others I post up which I try to have between 3-4k words.**_

_**I am struggling to finish a few of my fics on ff_net. At least this story is close to being finished. Perhaps I will be done with it by the end of March (estimate) if all things go well.**_

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It had all gone by blurringly fast.

Vincent had helped Mr. Holzoff collect his near-frozen comrades when he'd informed the man that they were still out on the glacier and possibly looking for them. The explorer had been flabbergasted that anyone in their right minds without a whole month's preparation would ever attempt to the cross the ice-age-like topography that was the northern continent's glacier. The gunman's clothes had been repaired by the man when he had been passed out. Which turned out to be apparently the better part of a day. Once reunited, they took an additional half-day to warm up in the quaint little cabin before Cloud got so restless that the rest of AVALANCHE had to follow him back outside. He may have left by himself.

Vincent's mood was fairly solemn and contemplative. There was something off about the blonde. Not that this would be incredibly out-of place since the loss of their comrade. However, each person had a way of coping with the death of someone they knew. He had seen enough of these reactions while working under ShinRa's to know the classic symptoms. Each member, young and old and... cat-like... was still in the process of grieving. Cloud seemed to have pushed it aside completely and unhealthily so. Driven by something perhaps? The gunman was not entirely denying the possibility that he was not being compulsed himself.

The nightmares... had changed.

Something was talking to him. Louder now than any of the whispers of his dark dreams had ever done. Was is something to do with the presence of Sephiroth? Or something supposedly from the crater itself? He didn't know.

Vincent squinted, the bits of snow blown across his vision were causing him to blink repeatedly. Startled constantly and minutely by their passage in front of his eyes. He briefly glanced around at the other members, prancing about in the cold while it had practically no effect on his own body. The only individuals that seemed to share the same immunity was understandably Cait Sith, being a robot and the fire-tailed creature RedXIII. Cloud glanced at him briefly, and was attempting to remain as unaffected as he himself was. However the tense set of his jaw and his movements betrayed him to anyone battle-observant enough to see.

The swordsman lifted a gloved hand towards him and also bent down to the fire-cat.

"We should secure and mark a route. You guys come up later."

Tucking climbing equipment in a bag which he threw over his shoulder, Cloud led the way. Vincent Valentine was quietly puzzled. It was in fact the first time that the blonde leader had selected him as the fore-scouting party. However he kept the questions of why firmly tucked behind the lip of his cloak. While the cold itself did not well register, it did affect him bodily and he would have to keep moving if he didn't wish to repeat his prior hypothermia experience. They climbed a distance upwards to some high outcroppings of rock before Cloud, lips blue, face white suddenly seemed to stop and then looked at his human companion in an expression of odd embarrassment.

"The old man gave me a few tips."

It was the only thing Cloud stated before going into an exercise of running in place. Vincent supposed it made alot of sense to raise your body temperature and looked down to see RedXIII nod understandably and huff good humourless up to him and a slight thoughful look of hesitation before speaking.

"I must say , that I am glad nothing befell you while we were separated."

Not knowing how to respond to a show of concern, Vincent simply nodded. Clapping his right hand onto his thigh to get circulation into it and started a series of standing running as well. While Cloud briefly glanced at him, noticing he was also doing the exercise. The blonde said nothing. Seeming to be deep in thought. It took them hours to scout the paths, leaving red flags behind for the others to follow through the convoluted cave system that was Gaea's cliffs. Nearing the top, they were getting tired. Enhanced as he was Cloud deemed it necessary to stop at one of the higher cave systems to rest.

"They'll be waiting for our flare-signal. We've cleared the caves of any dangerous monsters so they should only take a few hours to catch up."

Cloud re-iterated his plan to RedXIII who had discovered some past poor unfortunate adventurer's supplies. They used the wood for kindling and lighting a fire. Within the crates themselves had been a speed source and last elixir. This was the downtime Vincent had been waiting for and as he sat down he slipped from around his shoulder a weapon he had purchased at the Icicle Inn with his share of funds between Wutai and then.

"New weapon?" Cloud asked, mildly intrigued. It looked to be a shot-gun.

The Ex-Turk nodded. "In a cave such as this, short-range would be better. However..." He omitted the fact that he would probably keep his shooting to a minimum whilst in this area on account of the possibility of the noise provoking an avalanche. "What interested me were these."

The metallic hand of his prosthetic indicated the large butt of the gun which had a substantial amount of materia slots. 2 slotted and 2 singles. 6 in all. The blonde whistled appreciatively. It was perhaps not as impressive as the 'Apocalypse' sword that he had found in the ancient's forgotten capital with its triple growth, however it would be useful to them in the situation they were in. RedXIII, finished with having coaxed the fire for his un-furred friends lay down with him to determined the best use of the materia they owned.

Cloud, with Apocalypse had limited options and so only kept to statistical boosts using the purple orbs they possessed. The enhancers would mature quickly and probably birth new ones for the rest of their team.

RedXIII had his gold clip filled and Vincent had the last pick.

"Which summon do you suppose I should grow?"

The cat-like creature scratched at his recently placed hair clip but remained silent, doing his version of a shrug which was a low dip of his head.

"I suppose you can just keep Odin?" Cloud answered back. Seemingly uninterested or perhaps simply knowing that Valentine could be trusted with slotting efficiently.

Vincent supposed it was an indirect compliment and slotted for the terrain and the past creatures they had already fought. Keeping sense in a single slot as always. It had always been his job to gather intelligence before and it would always remain a compulsion. To the best of his abilities he always wished to know another creature's weakness.

The night was no different than the day when it came to temperature differences. The heat of the flames and RedXIII's body in between the three of them permitted them to survive the cold permeating the place. Unfortunately, whenever the gunman would close his eyes and drowse he would immediately come awake again hearing a 'voice'.

Or should he say 'voice(s)'?

What was most unsettling is his own mental landscape. It seemed there were many 'voices' in his own head while he dreamt his nightly nightmares. While one was definitely female, 2 were male and the last 2 others were mindlessly guttural creatures. Making 5 in alla. The whole thing was convoluted and giving him a headache and he opted to be silent while resting. Keeping guard in his own way.

-Come to me-

-Come to me-

-Join me my children-

-You are the chosen-

o0o


End file.
